The Edmonton Oilers got some business done by locking up Derek Ryan to a two-year, $900,000 AAV deal. The 36-year-old will be going into his ninth NHL season and third with the Oilers. When the team first committed to him two seasons ago to help out in the bottom-six, it did not start how both sides would have liked. With some changes, Ryan grinded it out in year one and found his way to earn himself another contract with the Oilers two years later.
Ryan has provided a lot to the bottom-six of the Oilers and is very versatile. He’s an underrated scorer, is an option at centre or the wing, and is trusted in his own end. The veteran played 80 games last season for Edmonton, scoring 10 goals and 20 points. He’s good for 10-plus goals, 20-plus points, 11-12 minutes per game, few penalties taken, 50-plus percent in the faceoff circle, and very few giveaways in a season.
Ryan was utilized on the third and fourth line this season down the middle or on the wing. While some of the Oilers’ depth players have found it difficult to stay consistent, that is all he has been for the past 1.5 seasons in Edmonton. Head coach Jay Woodcroft and company trust him to start a lot of draws in the defensive zone and to kill penalties where he scored twice and added an assist. It was assumed that some of the Oilers’ depth was going to get changed around for cap reasons, so with Ryan locked in, how do the rest of the contracts play out?
Oilers’ Depth Coming Together
We can assume, for cap reasons, that the Oilers will probably have to run a man or two short at forward again next season. It depends on what happens with their defence, but the coaching staff liked to dress 11 forwards and seven defencemen more often than not. But Ryan was a fixture in the bottom-six regardless of if there were 11 forwards or 12 dressed.
At times, Ryan has thrived on the third line with certain linemates, but when there are 11 forwards dressed and he gets shifts with Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl while on the fourth line, the offensive side of his game comes out more. At these times, he is regularly seen driving hard into the corners for pucks and playing the cycle game, but he gives maximum effort every shift regardless.
Of the bottom-six forwards, Ryan McLeod and Klim Kostin are restricted free agents (RFA) and are expected to get re-signed, while Nick Bjugstad, Mattias Janmark, and Devin Shore are all unrestricted free agents (UFA). You can almost guarantee that McLeod and Kostin will be back on fairly cheap short-term bridge deals. But with Ryan back, as expected, there might only be room for one of Bjugstad, Janmark, or Shore to return at this point. My money is on none of them returning.
While Shore was a 13th forward for the Oilers, at best, Janmark and Bjugstad might cost just a little too much to re-sign. Not only will money be a factor, as the RFAs on the Oilers should be a top priority, but Dylan Holloway is a must to make the team. And Raphael Lavoie could also surprise some and not surprise others and find himself on the Oilers’ roster this season (from “Lowetide: What’s Oilers prospect Dylan Holloway’s future NHL role?”, The Athletic, Apr. 28, 2023).
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Warren Foegele is still a potential trade candidate if the Oilers are desperate to clear out more money. But the assumption is that he will assume his spot on the third line next season (from “OILERS NOTES: Warren Foegele providing valuable minutes”, Edmonton Sun, Jan. 19, 2023). I can see the Oilers rotating through Ryan, Holloway, and Kostin on the third line early in the year to find the best fit.
There are some young players in the bottom-six for the Oilers, and Ryan will be a great veteran leader and a calming presence for them. If he can continue to contribute at both ends of the ice and on special teams the way he has for the Oilers to this point, it will be a deal the team doesn’t regret signing.
