Ryan holds special appeal for Flames
During this particular meet-andgreet, there was no need for introductions between Calgary Flames head coach Bill Peters and freeagent centre Derek Ryan. They know each other well. Amid widespread speculation that Ryan is a top target for the Flames on Canada Day, the 31-year-old pivot paid a visit Friday to Calgary for a sales pitch from the brass at the Saddledome.
It’s no secret the Flames covet a right-handed middleman, and it shouldn’t be a surprise that Peters is pushing for a reunion with a guy that he already trusts.
Ryan was the leading scorer for the Western Hockey League’s Spokane Chiefs in back-to-back campaigns from 2005-07. Peters was there as his bench boss.
They reconnected in Carolina nearly a decade later as Ryan capped his unlikely journey to the NHL by debuting for the Hurricanes at age 29.
Now 31 and with 153 big-league appearances on his resume, he’ll be hoping to cash in during Sunday’s free-agent frenzy.
Peters, of course, recently resigned from his post in Carolina and was hired a few days later as the new head coach in Calgary.
If it’s not too late, maybe they can get a two-for-one deal on a moving truck.
The morning-show crew at Sportsnet Fan 960 asked Peters earlier this week about Ryan, and the new skipper didn’t deny that the 5-foot-10, 170-lb. journeyman is on his wish-list.
“Doc is a kid that — you know what? — I think there’s going to be a lot of teams that will have interest in him,” Peters said during the radio interview. “It’s a tough position to play in the NHL and it’s a little bit of a thin market for centres. So there is going to be lots of interest there. Hopefully we might have a leg up with the fact that he lives out in the west. He’s a Spokane kid, back there for the summer.
“A reliable guy. Good player. Good skill. Can play power play,” Peters continued. “Where he’s excellent, too, is on faceoffs. If you need him to take the draw on the right side, win it, clear it and get off, he can do that. Makes his wingers better, for sure.”
Ryan took the long road to the NHL — starring for the University of Alberta Golden Bears, filling the net for three seasons in Austria and winning MVP honours in the Swedish Hockey League in 2014-15 before signing (and later re-upping) in Carolina.
With a salary-cap hit of US$1.425 million, he contributed 15 goals and 38 points in 80 outings last winter.
After the Hurricanes missed the playoffs, Ryan helped Team USA claim bronze at the World Hockey Championship.
The Flames aren’t expected to make a huge splash when freeagency opens Sunday, but they do have some cap space and a few voids to fill.
Among those on their way out are fourth-line centre Matt Stajan and winger Kris Versteeg, who often — when healthy — manned the right flank on the power play. The addition of Ryan would, potentially, fill both holes.
The Flames also hosted freeagent thumper Ryan Reaves, although there were rumblings Friday that the 31-year-old rightwinger will return to the Vegas Golden Knights. Their efforts to woo Reaves — provider of a grand total of four goals last season, plus two more in the playoffs — prove that Calgary ’s higher-ups are serious about adding some toughness to their lineup.
They have also reportedly expressed interest in speedy forward Tobias Rieder, a 25-year-old lefthander who registered a dozen tallies last season between the Arizona Coyotes and the Los Angeles Kings. Flames general manager Brad Treliving knows Rieder from his own days in the desert.