Two months have now passed since star forward Bobby Ryan was dealt to the Ottawa Senators from the Anaheim Ducks, and I have a theory about it all.
While startling, the move as a whole wasn’t unexpected. Ducks GM Bob Murray, was ready to end the trade rumors that had followed the newly struggling young forward, and the Sens were looking to fill the skates of exiting former captain Daniel Alfredsson.
So, it can be argued that the trade was fairly beneficial for both clubs, with Anaheim ridding themselves of an unimpressive salary burden, AND receiving young prospects Jakob Silfverberg and Stefan Noesen as well as an Ottawa first round draft pick. Ottawa on the other hand was looking to soften the blow to their fans with Alfredsson’s loss and in return picked up one of the best young forwards in the game in the form of Bobby.
Now here comes my theory: Because of this trade, this will be Bobby Ryan’s best season yet in the NHL.
Before you agree or disagree, let’s look back at Bobby’s history with the Ducks, speculate on his state of mind along his journey to the present and look ahead for the three reasons why he’ll define himself in Ottawa this year.
Grinding out the numbers that added up to his worst season yet in the NHL, Ryan struggled to make an impressionable impact that saw the Anaheim Ducks battle to a game 7 playoff loss to the Detroit Red Wings.
While Anaheim surely appreciated the 7 goals that he netted in their favor during the tough series, on the whole it was a disappointing regular season performance that left many people scratching their heads.
While the season was considerably shorter at only 48 games, (of which Ryan played 46,) Bobby’s 11 goals seemed to be only a sliver of what we’d all become accustomed to. Several times where Ryan had flourished in seasons past, he struggled to find the back of the net, and was very uncharacteristically frustrated.
After being put on the annual rumor mill time and time again, Ryan was surely frustrated, once even candidly making remarks in regards to one of the latest trade rumors, that if Anaheim was looking to trade him, to just do it already.
Sympathetic as I’m sure we can all be, I think the main question is: Does the uneasy turmoil of not feeling secure truly lead a player of Ryan’s caliber to produce, (or not produce in this case,) the kind of stats that he posted last season? Unanimously I think the answer we all come up with is, “yes!”
Rumor after rumor had to have taken its toll on Bobby, and frankly, I think he has every right to want revenge. So far he has been cordial in interviews regarding his former team, but one can only imagine the performance he’ll put in when the Senators meet Anaheim in two regular season contests this year.
Looking forward, Ryan will certainly be bringing his goal-scoring ability to Ottawa’s top line alongside new Sens captain Jason Spezza, a visionary in the offensive zone and Milan Michalek, who rounds out Ottawa’s staggering combo with sheer speed and skating finesse to back it up. Out of this new show stopping line, Ryan stands apart as the player who will be tasked with putting the puck away time and time again, and with the star studded support alongside him, it’s a task that I think he’ll be more than apt for.
Now back to my theory: Bobby will crush his previous stats in any season thus far.
While the 2008-2009 season was his NHL breakout season, 2010-2011 was arguably Ryan’s best season stats-wise. In 82 games played he netted 34 goals and 37 assists posting a formidable 71 points total in the regular season.
Good, no one can argue that, but I think he can do better.
Here are my three reasons why those stats will pale in comparison to this season:
1. Playing with Security.
Like I already discussed earlier, Bobby felt unappreciated, and it showed. The romance that he had had with both the staff and fans of Anaheim had faded away, precipitating into his on ice performance, sealing his fate in Bob Murray’s book. To Murray, Ryan was a distant third to the priorities that are Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. Now in Ottawa, suddenly those worries have faded away for Ryan, he’s a key player, like in Anaheim, but more importantly, he’s now a priority again. Ryan’s security is locked in with the Senators and this should have a huge effect on his game.
2. Appreciation in a Hockey Crazed Market.
Lets face it, when you think Southern California, you don’t think hockey (and before you jump on me for Northern Bias, I’m a Ducks fan living in Southern California). While both the Anaheim Ducks and their regional rivals the Los Angeles Kings have their share of silverware in their trophy cases, hockey isn’t as beloved in beautiful Orange County as it is in say… Ottawa. All of a sudden, Bobby’s been transplanted to a town where the press and fans are perpetually fawning over him, something he’s certainly used to in Anaheim, but nowhere near this scale. You might think this is ego stoking, but I think it’s something else entirely: morale boosting. Everyone loves to be loved, especially when you’re a professional hockey player coming out of a crushingly average season. If Bobby isn’t already feeling the good vibes bringing a new felt confidence to his game in the pre-season you can bet he will in his first experience in a Canadian home-opener.
3. Spezza and Michalek’s Star-Studded Support.
The combined ability of Michalek and Spezza on its own is staggering. You could add any player you wanted into that line and that player would improve and produce as a result. So the Senators decided to go ahead and throw Bobby Ryan in the mix. Strongest line in the Altantic division? Yeah that’s a distinct possibility.
Michalek’s game is one built on speed and he’s an ideal candidate to feed Ryan and Spezza the puck in tough areas. With the goal churning production at full speed, (like I think it very well could be,) Spezza has the potential to push close to 30 goals himself. As for Bobby? I think this is the season that he breaks that illusive magic number of 40.
Whether you agree or disagree, I’ll wrap up my theory with this: I myself am an ardent Anaheim Ducks fan, and the loss of Bobby was certainly a blow to the whole franchise, but it wasn’t crippling. Sure he was a huge part of our offense, but with the constant nagging rumors, you felt like his heart wasn’t in it anymore and that’s never something you like to see from any player no matter what the team. Even though he’s no longer playing in Anaheim, I’m sure we can all be happy that Mr. Ryan can get a fresh start and make the most of his career, taking the next step from star to superstar in Ottawa.
Thanks for reading. Please give our Hockey Department a follow on Twitter – @crimsonskorpion, @TheHockeyMitch, @theTQ21, @LastWordBigMick, @CMS_74_, @dasimonetta, @Larry_Scotti, @evan_lacey, @lastwordBKerr, @ddmatthews, @CanuckPuckHead, and @LastWordOnNHL, and follow the site @lastwordonsport.
Interested in writing for LastWordOnSports? If so, check out our “Join Our Team” page to find out how.
