You could excuse the average hockey fan, or Ottawa Senators fan even, if they didn’t know who Ryan Dzingel was prior to this season. Even if they had heard of him, they could be forgiven for not knowing how to spell or pronounce his name (ps. It’s De-zingle). He only played about one-third of the season last year in the NHL. He spent the remainder, as well as the year prior, playing for the Binghamton Senators in the AHL. While he only put up nine NHL points last year, he has been red-hot to start the 2016-17 NHL season. Dzingel has put up six points in his first six games.
Ryan Dzingel; Great name, better player
The speedy winger has been a welcome relief for the Sens, whose top forwards have been struggling to find the back of the net so far this season. Key top-six forwards Bobby Ryan, Mike Hoffman, and Kyle Turris have a combined five goals in the team’s first six games. Meanwhile Dzingel has spent most of his time on the third line.
He’s not just getting lucky either. He currently has the 2nd highest CorsiREL out of all the forwards on the team. His high CosiREL is due to his high shot generation numbers. He also has the highest 5v5 Corsi-For per 60 minutes on the team. Essentially, what this all means, is that when he is on the ice, he is one of the best players on the Senators at ensuring that more pucks are being directed at the opposition’s net rather than his own.
Dzingel seems to be enjoying his time so far with the big club this season, as well he should be. A bit earlier on in the season, Dzingel had an interview with TSN1200 and expressed his feelings towards his play so far with the Sens;
“I think I’m getting a little a little bit more confident. Coach is playing me in bigger situations. I’m just trying to grow my confidence and just keep playing the way I do; bringing pace and speed and that’s all I’m worried about really. Go when my name is called, and have some fun.”
Value For His Salary
If Dzingel continues scoring at anywhere near this pace, he’ll be the biggest steal on the team. His cap hit is a paltry $750,000 (and we all know how Eugene Melnyk likes to pinch his pennies). Even though we’re still in the early portion of the 2016-17 NHL season, its safe to say that Ryan Dzingel need not worry about whether or not he’ll be staying with the big club. He has shown that he is able to not only keep up with the pace of the NHL, but thrive.
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