Bobby Ryan is set to become a free agent and he could potentially be a cheap option for the Toronto Maple Leafs to consider signing this off-season.
The Ottawa Senators have reportedly decided to buyout the final two years of Bobby Ryan’s contract and it could be something the Toronto Maple Leafs take advantage of.
The NHL is entering a period of financial squeezing with a flat $81.5 million cap over the next two seasons, at least, and the Leafs are certainly in that position, needing to add some cheap contracts to fill the roster in 2020/21.
With Ryan set to hit the open market, there could be a decent match between the player and the organisation, with the veteran forward not needing to seek big money.
Why Bobby Ryan Makes Sense
Ryan’s current deal with the Senators was set to expire in 2022 and would have paid him $15 million, with $4 million of that being signing bonuses.
Per CapFriendly, the Senators buying Ryan out of his deal will still see him earn just over $11 million of his deal, including both of his $2 million bonuses – meaning that he will still be earning good money over the next four years, with the next two seeing him take home around $3.8 million per.
For Ryan, who is already 33 years old, he will be looking to join a team that has a legitimate chance at winning but he will likely only find suitors if he is willing to take a deal at least around league minimum, something that a number of veterans are doing (e.g. Jason Spezza).
If Ryan is willing to accept a deal around $800k, he could find himself playing on a team that is expected to make the playoffs convincingly and is regularly viewed as a contender at the start of each season. He would be relegated to a fourth line role for the Leafs, but that should be expected and the 2019/20 Masterton Trophy winner already has shown he can be productive in a lesser role.
Ryan, who spent the majority of the season working with the NHL/NHLPA assistance program to fight alcoholism, featured in 24 games for the Senators – scoring five goals and registering eight total points. (Stats via Hockey Reference). Averaged across a full 82-game season, that would still have put Ryan on pace to score 17 goals – potentially providing the Leafs with some depth goalscoring that many have complained was lacking during their recent qualifying round difficulties.
If the Toronto Maple Leafs also bring Jason Spezza back next season, it would see the two former Senators reunited for the first time since the 2013/14 season – providing veteran experience to their bitter Ontario rivals.
Ryan isn’t the player he once was, far from it, but he could be a cheap veteran player that adds some value to the bottom end of the Toronto Maple Leafs line-up, with some of their existing in-house options still not quite proven at the NHL level.
With his improved wellbeing, Ryan could potentially see an improvement in his overall on-ice performance with a fresh start somewhere else and the Leafs, who are weighted heavily in favour of their offense, could certainly be that for him.