Player Discussion Bobby Ryan Part VII

[Larionov]

His contract is only for two more years after this season. At this point, he isn't going to harm a rebuild, and we likely need his salary to reach the cap floor. If he can bring a solid veteran presence, it's a good thing for us.

The other benefit he brings is being a veteran to expose to Seattle in the expansion draft. We have to expose a certain number of veteran players, and he fills that role nicely, allowing us to protect someone more valuable. (And yes, Ryan's contract allows him to be exposed, unlike Phaneuf who had the full NMC and thus had to be protected.) I would imagine that Ryan plays one more year here, gets exposed in the expansion draft, then gets his last year bought out if he doesn't get picked up. You never know - if he's playing ok and isn't blocking anyone maybe he finishes his final year, as his bonus is such that there are little savings to be had in buying him out...

 

[operasen]

Or does he get LTIRd? He’s at the point where he is blocking other needed talent, at least next year. I suspect he wants to come back next year but the hard decision is what is best for team. Especially if a prospect is ready.
I can see the Seattle link, but I think they take one of our goalies. We can only protect one.

 

[Alex1234]

I know the narrative for many on this board about Ryan has been "he's useless, lazy, etc" but looking purely at stats, (and advanced stats), he always took too much crap for nothing. Sure he doesn't look as dynamic as Ennis (for example) out there because he's not a fast skater (and tiny little legs that move fast) and is more a pure skill/finesse type of player that some people doesn't seem to like.

First 3 years in Ottawa (2013-14 to 2015-16) : ~0.7 PPG, started to deal with injuries but that was still 1st line production

2016-17 : injury plagued season (hands) and the first with Boucher (harder to produce for several players), only 0.40 PPG but totally redeemed himself in the playoffs (2nd MVP after Karlsson). We don't even pass the Bruins without him.

2017-18 + 2018-19 : 0.54 PPG (16:01 TOI/GP)

Sure, 0.54 PPG is not worth 7.25 but all the guys that produced better those 2 years are now gone (Stone, Duchene, Hoffman and Dzingel)

Looking at this season only :

Duclair : 0.64 PPG (16:23 TOI/GP)
Pageau : 0.64 PPG (19:19 TOI/GP)
Brown : 0.64 PPG (20:18 TOI/GP)
Tkachuk : 0.56 PPG (18:41 TOI/GP)
Ennis : 0.56 PPG (14:55 TOI/GP)
Tierney : 0.52 PPG (16:56 TOI/GP)

So looking at Pts/TOI, Ryan 2017-19 would pretty much be at the top with Duclair and Ennis. He was "buried" on the 3rd line many times and had to leave several games early because of injuries.

Don't forget that this is a guy that had to adapt his game because his shot was not dangerous anymore and had to focus on being mostly just a playmaker 2-way forward (advanced stats)

Different team
Different teammates

Let’s see what he can do this year

 

[Larionov]

Or does he get LTIRd? He’s at the point where he is blocking other needed talent, at least next year. I suspect he wants to come back next year but the hard decision is what is best for team. Especially if a prospect is ready.
I can see the Seattle link, but I think they take one of our goalies. We can only protect one.

LTIR doesn't save the team much money, though. (Apparently fewer and fewer contracts these days are insured because concussions have made the insurance incredibly expensive.) It clears cap space, but cap space is rarely a problem for this team. ;-)

 

[Rand0m]

I wish Bobby the best. I enjoyed watching him when he was really working it in the playoffs. Unfortunately, his non-stop hand injuries really screwed up his career. It’s hard to play with the puck or shoot it properly when you can’t feel your hands. It affects your whole game.

I also have a feeling Seattle won’t benefit from the same kind of deals that Vegas did. They might actually need him to help reach the cap floor if they decide to build the team for long term success and not to be immediately competitive. He could help their tank for 1-2 seasons!

 

[Xspyrit]

Different team
Different teammates

Let’s see what he can do this year

He won't do much this year, there's only 28 games left so by the time he is ready to integrate the line-up and somewhat be back to form, there would be even less. I think he'll come back around the NHL line-up when a guy like Ennis or Namestnikov is traded.

My point is that during the years of where people said Ryan was so awful, he still produced at the same pace as our best players this year, which is not spectacular but fine/decent. Sure he has been overpaid for years now but I just wish people were not abusing hyperbole when expressing their emo opinions and showing a bit of respect to NHL players. Like I said, no player is "lazy" or "sucks" or this or that and produce 0.54 PPG in the NHL. Every NHL player I have talked to told me it was very hard to score in this league.

 

[Stylizer1]

He won't do much this year, there's only 28 games left so by the time he is ready to integrate the line-up and somewhat be back to form, there would be even less. I think he'll come back around the NHL line-up when a guy like Ennis or Namestnikov is traded.

My point is that during the years of where people said Ryan was so awful, he still produced at the same pace as our best players this year, which is not spectacular but fine/decent. Sure he has been overpaid for years now but I just wish people were not abusing hyperbole when expressing their emo opinions and showing a bit of respect to NHL players. Like I said, no player is "lazy" or "sucks" or this or that and produce 0.54 PPG in the NHL. Every NHL player I have talked to told me it was very hard to score in this league.

Did you have to ask every NHLer that question or did they think it was a fact that fans were oblivious too?

 

[Daffy]

Glad Bobby is feeling good. Nice to see him close to a return. Hope he lights it up. Not gonna find many better guys.

 

[BigRig4]

Bobby Ryan career year 2020-2021

 

[Do Make Say Think]

Hard to say for sure but I'm expecting him to have a good bounce back next year. Aiming for 40 to 50 points.

Still overpaid and all but he can still be useful.

 

[Xspyrit]

Hard to say for sure but I'm expecting him to have a good bounce back next year. Aiming for 40 to 50 points.

Still overpaid and all but he can still be useful.

So pretty much as usual (well, since his "decline")

(paces to 82 GP)

2013-14 : 57 pts
2014-15 : 57 pts
2015-16 : 57 pts
2016-17 : 41 pts (including playoffs)
2017-18 : 43 pts
2018-19 : 44 pts

That being said, I don't think it'll be easy for anybody to produce under DJ Smith, too much of a grinding style. Players like Tkachuk and Connor Brown can do well, but it's going to be hard for players like Logan Brown and Bobby Ryan

 

[Billy Bridges]

I hope all the questions about his heart and character disappear now.

 

[TkachukMyAho]

Sign me up for being one of Bobby Ryan's biggest fans going forward.

 

[JD1]

So pretty much as usual (well, since his "decline")

(paces to 82 GP)

2013-14 : 57 pts
2014-15 : 57 pts
2015-16 : 57 pts
2016-17 : 41 pts (including playoffs)
2017-18 : 43 pts
2018-19 : 44 pts

That being said, I don't think it'll be easy for anybody to produce under DJ Smith, too much of a grinding style. Players like Tkachuk and Connor Brown can do well, but it's going to be hard for players like Logan Brown and Bobby Ryan

What will be interesting to see with DJ Smith is whether he is a guy that can coach a skilled hockey club. He has us playing a pressure game, dump, chase, crash, bang. That's what we have the personnel for.

I presume we'll see a fair bit of Brown, Norris, Formenton, Brannstrom, Wolanin, Bobby Ryan. Some Balcers. Some Abramov maybe. And some 2020 1sts.

I'd expect to see hundreds of man games played by guys with more skill than wat they replaced

It'll be interesting to see if DJ can handle the talent influx

 

[JungleBeat]

I hope all the questions about his heart and character disappear now.

Why’s that? Since he’s struggling and no need to pile on?

 

[L'Aveuglette]

Bobby looks good. Really proud of him that he got help and is now sober. I can't even imagine how hard it is to go through this publicly. Hopefully he can find his game again.

 

[Xspyrit]

What will be interesting to see with DJ Smith is whether he is a guy that can coach a skilled hockey club. He has us playing a pressure game, dump, chase, crash, bang. That's what we have the personnel for.

I presume we'll see a fair bit of Brown, Norris, Formenton, Brannstrom, Wolanin, Bobby Ryan. Some Balcers. Some Abramov maybe. And some 2020 1sts.

I'd expect to see hundreds of man games played by guys with more skill than wat they replaced

It'll be interesting to see if DJ can handle the talent influx

Yeah, that's exactly my prerogative. The talent will start coming up in waves (and it's starting a bit now with Norris and Batherson), but at some point next year we could have in the lineup

1 or 2 of the 2 top-9 talents we are going to draft (possibly 2 top-5)
Logan Brown
Drake Batherson
Josh Norris
Anthony Duclair
Rudolf Balcers
Bobby Ryan
Vitaly Abramov
Christian Wolanin
Thomas Chabot
Erik Brannstrom

I wouldn't include Formenton and Paul for example, even though they have some very decent skill, their game is not as dependent on the use of skill as the guys above.

That's a lot of players who rely on skill more than a crash and bang physical game ala Tkachuk or Connor Brown. Very curious to see what Smith is going to be able to do with it. If he proves he can adapt (unlike Boucher who was unable to change his ways), then I might be in his camp but I'm going to be more in a "prove me" approach with unproven coaches. We have had several guys in the last 15 years who were able to find success then fade away very fast.

 

[Artanis]

Cheering for him to do the best he can.

 

[JD1]

Yeah, that's exactly my prerogative. The talent will start coming up in waves (and it's starting a bit now with Norris and Batherson), but at some point next year we could have in the lineup

1 or 2 of the 2 top-9 talents we are going to draft (possibly 2 top-5)
Logan Brown
Drake Batherson
Josh Norris
Anthony Duclair
Rudolf Balcers
Bobby Ryan
Vitaly Abramov
Christian Wolanin
Thomas Chabot
Erik Brannstrom

I wouldn't include Formenton and Paul for example, even though they have some very decent skill, their game is not as dependent on the use of skill as the guys above.

That's a lot of players who rely on skill more than a crash and bang physical game ala Tkachuk or Connor Brown. Very curious to see what Smith is going to be able to do with it. If he proves he can adapt (unlike Boucher who was unable to change his ways), then I might be in his camp but I'm going to be more in a "prove me" approach with unproven coaches. We have had several guys in the last 15 years who were able to find success then fade away very fast.

Two years out, we are looking at having 10 first round picks in the lineup

2020 1st
2020 1st
Brown
Norris
White
Tkachuk

Chabot
JBD
Thomson
Brannstrom

Sure some of them won't be stars, but they all project to have floors that put them as quality NHLers

That does not include guys like

Formenton
Batherson
Wolanin

That will surely be here

 

[Do Make Say Think]

Listening to his interview, I gotta give props to him usually bringing up the big contract and how he hasn't lived up to it.

Making a lot of money is a lot of pressure in of itself. Some types of personalities are more susceptible to "self imposed" pressure and it sounds like the price tag wears heavily on Bobby.

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

I'm rooting for Bobby...but at the same time, I'm worried. Alcoholism isn't the root of the issue, just a symptom. Attack the root, otherwise something else will slide in in place of the booze. He's been through one hell of a lot in his life, and it takes its toll.

 

[Sweatred]

The other benefit he brings is being a veteran to expose to Seattle in the expansion draft. We have to expose a certain number of veteran players, and he fills that role nicely, allowing us to protect someone more valuable. (And yes, Ryan's contract allows him to be exposed, unlike Phaneuf who had the full NMC and thus had to be protected.) I would imagine that Ryan plays one more year here, gets exposed in the expansion draft, then gets his last year bought out if he doesn't get picked up. You never know - if he's playing ok and isn't blocking anyone maybe he finishes his final year, as his bonus is such that there are little savings to be had in buying him out...

I think he will have to play 40 games next year to qualify for the expansion draft.

 

[AchtzehnBaby]

No one posted the link unless it was somewhere else. I had a busy day so just found this out now.

I really feel for the guy. I must be so hard to have to deal with this publicly. He genuinely is very aware of his position now, and the fight he needs to put up to make this all work. I hope he does amazing the next couple of years. He deserves it.

p.s. - I really cannot believe how well spoken Bobby is. He is definitely a very well read person.

 

[Tuna99]

Hopefully he finds a fire that's been missing from his game for a long time. There were so many games he looked miserable and played without the joy of the game and wasn't enjoying his talents - time to recapture those lost games with a solid run.

Ryan's revealed his life to the media, and then he disappears to the midwest so he can't be found. He seems to play his best hockey when he's bluecollar and playing for others and playing to those midwest values instead of trying to keep everyone around him happy and playing to please like how he reveals his life in the media.

Ryan played his best hockey when he played for Clarke Macurthur - drop the media, protect your privacy and buckle down on your bluecollar roots and hockey will be easier for him.

 

[Ice-Tray]

Props Bobby, mad respect to stand there and answer question after question.

Definitely rooting for him, and wow what a story this could be for him and the Sens.

In truth, it’s enough for me if he finds peace and is able to be happy with his fam, but man, it would be some gold lining if this leads to a resurgence in his career too.