The Detroit Red Wings have confirmed that forward Bobby Ryan has been released by the team from his professional tryout. Head coach Jeff Blashill said of the decision, “it was a tough call, he’s a good person and a good hockey player.: He added, “We just made that decision that that is the best thing for us.” The question now will be, does Ryan get a shot somewhere else?
Ryan had two completely different experiences last season. One, he signed on with Detroit to a team-friendly deal and produced right out of the gate. He would up with 14 points in 33 games but was injured in the last half of the season. It was likely the injury and his inability to keep his pace of production rolling that cause the Red Wings to give him another look but ultimately move on.
As Devin Little of The Hockey Writers points out. “If you want guys like [Lucas] Raymond & [Joseph] Veleno to make the team, guys like Bobby Ryan can’t be in their way. It’s a tough call, but a necessary one.” He’s probably right in that this will be a year where the Red Wings really want to see their young players and prospects take a big step towards being, not only NHL regulars, but difference-makers.
At the same time, it’s an interesting decision because the Red Wings will be without Tyler Bertuzzi when the team travels to Canada and they learned at Jakub Vrana would be injured for a good chunk of the season.
Disappointing End for Ryan in Detroit
Ryan will be disappointed because he turned down a couple of options in free agency to stay with the Red Wings and not have a guaranteed deal. In the offseason, he said, “no place has felt this comfortable throughout my career.” He wanted to stay with the team and if he’s unable to make a roster like Detroit’s, how useful might he be elsewhere?
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