Offseason Options: Could Derek Ryan help the Oilers?

For the next in my series of offseason acquisition options for the Oilers, I’ll be investigating the potential merits of pursuing pending UFA C Derek Ryan of the Calgary Flames. As a veteran RC with both two-way capabilities and some offense, could he be a viable target for the Edmonton Oilers?

What has he done recently?

Ryan’s 2021 season was successful by some measures and less so by others. At 5-on-5, he produced 2 goals and 13 points in 9:31 mins/game which translates to 1.91 pts/60, which is once again good for 3rd behind the Wonder Twins. This constitutes the highest scoring rate of options covered so far and demonstrates that he’s still a capable offensive player if slotted correctly. Furthermore, he outscored 18-11 (62.1% GF) and out-chanced 209-117 (64.1% SCF) his opposition while seeing 55.9% of his faceoffs in the offensive zone.

This kind of production continues a trend of offensive production seen from Ryan over the past few seasons- albeit, a slight downward trend. With 29 points in 68 games in 2019-20 and 38 in 81 in 2018-19, Ryan shows the capacity for the kind of offense the Oilers’ bottom-6 has lacked for more than a decade. In each of his 3 most recent seasons, Ryan also outscored his opposition (30-21 in 19-20; 34-20 in 18-19) to such a degree that he massively outperformed his team when he was on the ice (+10.2, +13.4, and +7.5% relGF).

What could he bring to the Oilers?

Beyond his depth scoring prowess, Ryan is also a capable right-shot faceoff man having never recorded a season with a faceoff percentage below 50%. He also plays an active role on his team’s 2nd penalty-killing unit with 1:42 mins/game in that game state. This isn’t to say he’s an exceptional PKer but he does the job and doesn’t seem to impact results too much (either negatively or positively).

Over the past 3 seasons, he has shown to be a physical non-factor (1.23 hits/60) and demonstrated moderate defensive abilities with 1.8 blocks/60 (around Puljujarvi) and 2.6 takeaways/60 (second only to Draisaitl). As for his playoff performances, they’re nothing worth writing home about.

Conclusion

In summary, Ryan is an established veteran whose consistent depth scoring, faceoff prowess, and ability to outscore his opposition would be a boon to an Oilers bottom-6 that has been atrocious in that respect.

However, the risks with signing him include his age (he turns 35 in December) and the fact that his success has largely been experienced in more offensively-geared roles. I could see him finding success as the mentor on a bottom-6 line with some youth and speed- like McLeod and a physical, UFA left wing.

What are your thoughts on Mark Letestu 2.0? Is the stink of the Flames still too fresh for you to entertain pursuing him? Let me know in the comments!

(Stats per Natural Stat Trick)