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Kesler: Canucks ‘years away’ from being a contender

Minnesota Wild v Vancouver Canucks

VANCOUVER, BC - FEBRUARY 28: Ryan Kesler #17 of the Vancouver Canucks is pictured while playing against the Minnesota Wild during the second period of their NHL game at Rogers Arena on February 28, 2014 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Ben Nelms/Getty Images)

Ben Nelms

Vancouver Canucks forward Ryan Kesler didn’t enjoy his time with the Vancouver Canucks in 2013-14 and while he respects Canucks president Trevor Linden, he feels the team is nowhere close to being a contender again.

“They’re in a rebuild and are years away from being a contender,” Kesler said, per the Los Angeles Times’ Helene Elliott. “It was time for me to move on.”

The 29-year-old forward got his wish today when the Anaheim Ducks acquired him from Vancouver in exchange for Nick Bonino, defenseman Luca Sbisa, and Anaheim’s first-round pick (24th overall) in the 2014 draft.

With the Ducks he’ll be the second-line center on a team that has won their division twice and took the Stanley Cup-winning Los Angeles Kings to Game 7 in the second round. In short, a team that’s more poised to win than Vancouver.

“At the end of the day, I want to win a championship and I want to win it now,” Kesler said, according to the Ducks’ Twitter feed.

Kesler had 25 goals and 43 points in 77 games in 2013-14, but the Canucks’ offense was anemic overall during coach John Tortorella’s brief tenure. When he was at his height, Kesler had back-to-back 70-point campaigns in 2009-10 and 2010-11.

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