Bobby Ryan, after undergoing triceps surgery, said near the end of last season that he still has some hockey left in him at age 34.
He hopes to prove that to the Detroit Red Wings over the next couple of weeks after signing a professional tryout contract with the team.
Ryan will join the team for the start of training camp Thursday at Centre I.C.E. in Traverse City and presumably play in some preseason games.
He should have a decent opportunity to earn a contract. The Red Wings could use another right-shooting forward with some offensive ability, someone who can play on the power play. They have only three right-shooting forwards on the roster (Sam Gagner, Mitchell Stephens, Carter Rowney) and only one (Gagner) who is likely to be used on the power play (right-shooter Lucas Raymond will be competing for a job).
Ryan also was a popular player in the room as a mentor for young players and a team leader.
Ryan, after signing a one-year. $1 million contract with Detroit within an hour of the start of free agency, got off to a hot start as the first player in franchise history to score four goals in his first three games. He cooled off, however, and finished with 14 points (seven goals, seven assists) in 33 games.
His season ended on March 28. He underwent triceps surgery in April, when Ryan said doctors discovered he had a deteriorated tendon that was torn off the bone.
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