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Former Edmonton Oiler Derek Ryan Open to Returning in New Role After Retirement

Originally posted on Hockey Latest | By Tom Banks | Last updated Sep 9, 2025 1:03 PM ET

Derek Ryan retired from the NHL this off-season, but now he's expressed interest in returning to the Edmonton Oilers in a brand new role.

For the past four years, Derek Ryan has played a solid role for the Edmonton Oilers, being a much needed steady hand down the bottom of their lineup, but this off-season, he announced his retirement from professional hockey.

After announcing his retirement, Ryan admitted he was frustrated with how is time in Edmonton came to an end.

Given that he spent the last seven seasons of his career in Alberta with the Flames and Oilers, most expected him to remain close in some capacity, and now he's opened up on a potential role.

Ryan expresses interest in a coaching role with the Oilers

In a recent interview with Bob Stauffer on Oilers Now, Ryan opened up on many things to do with Edmonton and the organization, namely, he revealed he'd love to take on a coaching role with the team now that he's retired.

'I definitely would like to do something like that, and I wouldn't mind being involved with the Oilers currently, because of the reach and the touch that I have in that locker room.'

It's unclear if the team have something like that available for the veteran, but given the relationships that he's built with the organization and the players in the locker room in recent times, it's no surprise that he wants to remain a part of that.

On top of that, he has over 600 NHL games under his belt, and that's the type of experience he could bring to the young players on the team as a leader, so don't be surprised if we see Ryan return to the Oilers in some capacity moving forward.

This article first appeared on Hockey Latest and was syndicated with permission.

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