The Detroit Red Wings will give Bobby Ryan another chance to play this season, or at least a chance to earn a contract. The veteran forward has signed a professional tryout with Detroit and will be at training camp when it starts in a few days.
Ryan, 34, played 33 games for the Red Wings last season, scoring seven goals and 14 points before an injury shut him down. He quickly explained then that he wanted to continue his playing career if possible, but a PTO wasn’t an unforeseeable conclusion at this point. There was a time that Ryan was one of the most feared power forwards in the league, scoring 30+ goals on a regular basis, but that player has been gone for years now. Over the last two seasons, he has combined for just 22 points in 77 games, though he remains a beloved teammate and locker room presence.
The interesting thing about Ryan is that a league-minimum contract shouldn’t be a problem, given that he will still earn $1.83M from the Ottawa Senators this season after a 2020 buyout. In fact, he’ll earn that amount in each of the next four seasons after they bought out the final two years of his seven-year, $50.75M deal. Ryan played for the Red Wings last year with a $1M salary, but likely won’t even command that much if he does earn a deal again this year.
Of course, it may not be in Detroit at all, given how many youngsters they also want to fit into the lineup. A tryout gives Ryan the chance to showcase himself for the whole league and prove that there’s still something left in his tank.
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