The biggest trade this summer (outside of Ottawa and Pittsburgh) was the move of Ryan Kesler from Vancouver to Anaheim. The deal closed the overripe and mildly annoying speculation about Kesler since prior to the trade deadline.

The soon-to-be 30-year old American center will move to an up-tempo and offense friendly environment that had dissolved with the Canucks in recent years. The move puts one of the premier two-way centers on one of the league’s best teams. Though the Ducks steamrolled through the regular season, they were bounced from the playoffs by the eventual Stanley Cup champs across town.

So with the new sweater comes a new chapter in the Ryan Kesler story. The one-time 41-goal scorer has been a consistent but not elite offensive threat, but will benefit greatly from having a center like Ryan Getzlaf playing in front of him. In Vancouver Kesler had Henrik Sedin playing on the top line, but Getzlaf is a different player entirely.

Noted for their conspicuously “soft” play, Kesler’s role on the Canucks was that of agitator with an elite set of skills. Often required to line up against the opponents top offensive threats, Kesler will enjoy a bit more offensive freedom with Getzlaf taking on most of those responsibilities.

The Ducks have been anything but “soft” in the era of Getzlaf and Corey Perry, often treading the line between chippy and downright dirty. Wearing the sweater of an antagonist is something that Kesler will relish and could reignite his declining offensive statistics.

The Ducks did give up a good bit to acquire Kesler, namely Nick Bonino and Luca Sbisa, but Kesler is an upgrade over Bonino and Sbisa was fighting “healthy scratch syndrome” last year. In Vancouver, each of the younger players will get more opportunities to see the ice on their new club.

For the newest (mighty) Duck, fantasy owners can expect to see upwards of 30 goals. 30? Yes, 30 goals from a revitalized Ryan Kesler. He’ll get a ton of opportunities on the Anaheim power play and will be flanked by any combination of fleet-footed youngsters that could be coming into their own offensively.

Kyle Palmieri, Matt Beleskey, Patrick Maroon Emerson Etem, Devante Smith-Pelley and Jakob Silfverberg will rotate through the top two lines to find the right productive combination. With Beleskey the elder statesman at age 26, the Ducks are set up for success long term.

Ryan Kesler will more than likely be ranked outside the top 50 fantasy players in Yahoo and ESPN fantasy leagues, but is certainly a sleeper pick that will absolutely benefit in his new digs. While he is a long shot to hit the 70-point mark, he’s a lock to be in the 27-33-goal range.