The Edmonton Oilers have signed forward Derek Ryan to a two-year contract extension, the club announced Tuesday.
Ryan, 36, is coming off his second year with the Edmonton Oilers in what was a very successful campaign for the veteran. He appeared in 80 games in the regular season scoring 13 goals — two off tying his career high of 15 — and 20 points.
His production quieted down in the playoffs scoring just one goal and three points, but along with Ryan McLeod and Warren Foegele, formed a third-line that continuously pushed the pace of play up the ice. In 63:12 of 5×5 ice time in the post-season, the trio controlled 74.76 percent of the shot attempts, 73.08 percent of the scoring chances and 77.23 percent of the expected goal share, and were an even 3-3 in goals.
His impacts were strong at even strength this year, according to HockeyViz.com. He brought offence at a three percent rate above league average and provided defence at a very, very solid 13 percent above league average. Ryan showed some versatility this year as well playing not only up the middle of the ice but on the wing, as well. While his skating may not be a strong point anymore for the journeyman who once was a University of Alberta Golden Bear, his strength continues to lie in his ability to position himself well on the ice.
Ryan, who was slated to be an unrestricted free agent this summer, originally joined the Oilers in free agency in July 2021 inking a two-year deal paying him a $1.25-million AAV. Now, Ryan takes a bit of a pay cut but secures another deal that will keep him and his family in Edmonton.
In an Instagram post from Tuesday afternoon, Ryan said “my family and I are super excited that we will be staying in Edmonton for the next 2 seasons. We love it here and we’re excited for what the future holds for us in Oil Country.”
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