Detroit Red Wings: Bobby Ryan's redemption will be fun to watch

The Detroit Red Wings and Bobby Ryan need each other to succeed.

The Detroit Red Wings and Bobby Ryan have had very similar 2019-20 seasons in that nothing really seemed to go right for either party.

Detroit, coming off a 32-40-10 season in 2018-19, scored just 39 points in 71 games of action; the fewest points total by a team since the Atlanta Thrashers all the way back in 1999-20 in their inaugural season. Now granted, some of that misfortune can be attributed to the season being shortened to 71 games due to the league’s game stoppage back in March, but even if the Wings would have played out their final 11 games, it’s hard to imagine them earning more than what, five points?

And as for Ryan? Well, he missed a solid chunk of the regular season to attend rehab for his alcohol abuse. Though he eventually returned to the ice and even won the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for perseverance and sportsmanship, he was ultimately placed on unconditional waivers on September 25th before being bought out of his contract with the Ottawa Senators two days later.

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He too may have seen his season look a tad different if it wasn’t for the pandemic, but after recording underwhelming efforts in both 2017-18 and 2018-19, it’s clear the Senators weren’t getting $7.25 million in AAV from Ryan at any point in the immediate future.

But now, fully healthy with (presumably) a chip on his shoulder, Ryan looks primed to have a bounce-back season with the Red Wings in what could either launch a comeback for the former second overall pick in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft or close a chapter on what once looked like a very promising NHL career.

Buckle up, Detroiters; this is going to be fun.

In a Q&A with The Athletic, Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill felt encouraged with his initial conversations with Ryan, saying, “I really like the spot he’s at in his life,” and that “I think he’s really motivated to have a great year.” For what it’s worth, Ryan also sounded encouraged by the idea of playing with a hungry Red Wings team tired of losing, telling Craig Custance, “I knew that I needed to prove there is still some high-end hockey in me. I didn’t want to go somewhere and immediately be a third- or fourth-line guy. I still think I can play in the top six to nine.”

With NHL.com’s Senior Fantasy Editor Rob Reese predicting the Red Wings to have the worst second (fantasy) line in the entire NHL and the third-worst (fantasy) top-line in the league, a return to vintage Ryan could be enough to make all of the talks of the Red Wings’ fantastic offseason roll over into the regular season, when said accolades matter a whole lot more.

If Ryan can provide a second-line scoring pop behind fellow free agent addition Anthony Mantha, the Red Wings could find themselves among the most improved teams in the NHL, even if that improvement isn’t enough to break a four-year playoff drought.

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When Bobby Ryan was initially traded to the Ottawa Senators back in 2014 for Jakob Silfverberg, Stefan Noesen, and a first-round draft pick in 2013, it was with the intention of being the team’s new star. Though that never really happened, due to injury, illness, and just general on-ice struggles, there is far less pressure on the former first-round pick to be a franchise-altering player as a member of the Detroit Red Wings. If Ryan can come in, maintain his new commitment to clean living, and provide some on-ice pop playing alongside a collection of youngsters and vets on short-term deals, there’s no reason to believe his career won’t be on the upswing in the not too distant future. Personally, I’d love to see it.

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