Red Wings: Bobby Ryan signs one-year deal for a fresh start

The Detroit Red Wings have signed forward Bobby Ryan to a one-year deal, giving him a fresh start with a new organization.

Detroit Red Wings General Manager (GM) kicked off the organization’s free agency period by signing free-agent forward Bobby Ryan to a one-year deal. Ryan’s cap hit will be just $1 million as he embarks on a fresh start with a new organization.

After thirteen years in the National Hockey League (NHL), spending the last seven with the Ottawa Senators, Ryan will come to the Red Wings organization. Ryan has not had the easiest road in recent times, but this signing is a chance for him to have a fresh start and revive his career.

In 2019-20, Ryan was the winner of the Masterton Trophy, which is given to a player who exhibits perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to ice hockey. After some issues with substance abuse (alcohol), Ryan would bounce back and return to the Senators after a break.

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In November, Ryan announced that he needed to step away from the game to get right, and in February, Ryan was able to get back on the ice and re-join the Senators.

In total, Ryan would play in 24 total games where he scored five goals and add three assists for eight total points.

The hope is that Ryan can get a fresh start and revive his career, and the idea of this signing had already been suggested as the offseason approached.

There are a few different ways to look at this signing and how it could shake out for the Red Wings organization:

Ryan pans out well, is able to find a groove, and find that point production he could be moved at the trade deadline to increase draft capital once again.
Ryan pans out well, is kept around, and can be part of the solution to avoid another 39-point, 17-49-5 performance.
Ryan pans out poorly and is let go at the end of the 2020-21 season with just a $1 million cap burden from this year.

Frankly, the pros here are not bad, Ryan has a good chance to revive his career and turn things around rather than faltering and ending up being useless. The risk is low and the reward is high, a phenomenal signing for Yzerman who kicked off free agency in a great way.

As it stands, Ryan will be focused on getting back to the forward he was in recent years, being the scoring threat that he had been earlier in his career. On a rebuilding Red Wings team, Ryan will struggle to be the scorer he once was, but can definitely work to revive and reset his career.

Not to mention, Ryan is a right-handed shot where he will join the Red Wings organization. Yzerman had indicated that he wanted to bring in a right-handed shooting forward during free agency, and Ryan fits the build.

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This signing was a phenomenal start for the Detroit Red Wings during this whirlwind of an NHL offseason.

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