Each NHL team’s worst contract heading into the 2019-20 season

Ottawa Senators – Bobby Ryan

Contract: $7.25 million cap hit over the next three seasons; NMC, 10-team NTC.

The Ottawa Senators were looking for a new face of the franchise after Daniel Alfredsson left. They were betting on that guy being Bobby Ryan or Erik Karlsson. It turns out neither guy was. The latter left in a trade with an underwhelming return. Meanwhile, the former is still around but isn’t the forward the Senators thought they were getting.

At first, Ryan did fine. In the first year of his extension (2015-16), he posted 22 goals and 56 points. However, in the next three seasons, he has combined to score 39 goals with 100 points. Ryan has also missed 20 games in the first two seasons. Combined, he has played 202 games in those three seasons.

When healthy, Ryan’s actually been fairly decent. Among the 377 forwards with at least 150 games played since the start of the 2015-16 season, he ranks 145th. The issue is Ryan is paid to be a much better player than that. A budget team like the Senators needs guys like him to live up to their deals. Ryan isn’t doing it.

Also, his no-movement and no-trade clauses make it almost impossible for the Senators to get rid of him. Ryan’s deal is nothing short of an albatross.