Veteran winger Ryan’s days in Ottawa likely numbered
The day before the NHL trade deadline, Bobby Ryan thought he was gone.
The veteran Senators winger heard there had been a deal worked out that would send him and Erik Karlsson to a Western Conference team. His time in Ottawa, he believed, was over after 4 ½ seasons.
“I heard on Sunday it was done and somebody backed out at the last second,” Ryan said Monday morning at BB&T Center. “Karl and I were like, ‘Pack it up’. We thought we were gone. That’s just the way it goes. Then you’re like, ‘I’ve got to move again?’
“I guess I’ll just wait and see how it goes in the summer. That’s all you can do.”
Teams may have thought they were close to making a deal with the Senators, but only GM Pierre Dorion knows for sure. Either way, there’s no doubt conversations will pick up again after the season. The Senators will surely entertain trade talks for Karlsson at the draft, and in order to get the captain they ask that Ryan be included in the package.
The Senators will try and move the former 30-goal scorer, not because he’s a bad player or bad person — the opposite is true in both cases — but because he’s not worth the $7.25-million cap hit they have him at for four more seasons.
Ryan gets it. Both he and wife Danielle like Ottawa and want to stay. But he also sees the writing on the wall.
Chances of him starting next season with the Senators are slim. Ryan will be a buyout candidate if he’s not dealt.
“I understand with my contract and the obligations that I haven’t performed up to a $7-million player,” he said. “But that’s something that happens. That’s the business side of things. I try to separate it when I get to the rink. I don’t worry about what’s going on over there in the other hallway, I just worry about what’s in front of me. That’s all you can do.”
Indeed, Ryan has handled the uncertainly of his future like a pro. He hasn’t whined or knocked on Dorion’s door to seek some clarification. He just goes about his business trying to rediscover his groove after missing almost two months with more hand injuries, trying to help the team win.
“Generally you don’t talk to anybody within the organization about it because ... I don’t want to say you’re crossing the line by asking, but you know it’s out of your hands,” he said. “Other than you going in and solidifying yourself with them by saying, ‘I don’t want to be here,’ it’s not going to do anybody any good. The GM has that right to listen to every team and every option available. So I think, in the room, guys generally understand that and they don’t take it personally as you get older.
“Me, in particular, I reached out to my agent and said, ‘Hey, listen, I’m sure you’re aware of what’s going on here and I’m hearing it. And if I’m hearing it, you are.’ So he told me on Friday ( before the deadline) that ( being traded) was a very real possibility and that was the most communication I had. Then it was just kind of sitting. I caught myself looking at stuff online, things like that, Twitter and whatnot, trying to figure out if anybody knew anything.”
If the Senators do buy him out, Ryan will wind up elsewhere as an unrestricted free agent. Most teams would like to have him — just not at $7 million per.
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