Former National Hockey League center Derek Ryan of Spokane, Washington retired from the National Hockey League on Friday at the age of 38. His final team was the Edmonton Oilers, and at the time of his retirement, Ryan was critical of Oilers management, citing a lack of respect. These were Ryan’s words according to Bob Stauffer of Oilers Now:
‘It was a little bitter for me just because of how things were handled with the new management, the somewhat new coaching staff and just kind of the brick work that I had laid with that group. The blood, sweat, and tears that I had given with that group in three and a half years, just to have it brushed under the rug, is pretty disappointing. I don’t think it would have been that way if the management wouldn’t have changed.’
Who did Ryan play for?
Ryan played for three NHL franchises. He was with the Carolina Hurricanes for three seasons from 2015 to 2018, the Calgary Flames for three seasons from 2018 to 2021, and the Edmonton Oilers for four seasons from 2021 to 2025.
Ryan’s NHL regular season statistics
Ryan had 82 goals and 127 assists for 209 points in 606 games. He was a +14 with 158 penalty minutes, 27 power-play points, 14 shorthanded points, seven game-winning goals, 691 shots on goal, one hat trick, 2815 faceoff wins, 267 blocked shots, 307 hits, 312 takeaways, and 242 giveaways. The hat trick came in a 4-3 Oilers win over the Florida Panthers on February 26, 2022.
Ryan’s NHL playoff statistics
Ryan had three goals and seven assists for 10 points in 60 games. He was a -5 with 14 penalty minutes, one shorthanded point, 54 shots on goal, 209 faceoff wins, 25 blocked shots, 75 hits, 30 takeaways, and 19 giveaways.
Unconventional path to the NHL
Ryan was never drafted while or after playing for the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League. After his junior hockey career, he played in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport system (rare for an American), and played four seasons with the University of Alberta Golden Bears. Ryan also played four seasons in Europe (Austria and Sweden) before playing in his first NHL game.
Underrated defensively
In today’s era of hockey, you will see many notable players give the puck away more than take the biscuit away. However, Ryan had 70 more takeaways than giveaways in the regular season, and 11 more takeaways than giveaways in the postseason. Ryan was also a +21 and got one Selke fifth place vote while with the Flames in 2018-19.
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