The Ottawa Senators have placed Bobby Ryan on waivers for the purpose of buying him out. This is a shocking move for a player who was recently recognized for his representation of sportsmanship and perseverance to the game. Darren Dreger of TSN broke the news Friday morning.
Expect the Ottawa Senators to place Bobby Ryan on waivers for the purpose of a buyout.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) September 25, 2020
Senators Waive Bobby Ryan
Ryan had a tough 2019-20. The 32-year-old veteran scored just five goals and eight points in 24 games. He left the team in November and entered the league’s player assistance program to deal with his alcohol abuse. That obviously impacted his production but this was still a player that scored 15 goals and 42 points in 78 games in 2018-19. There is nothing suggesting he could return to that level of production after a year addressing a potentially destructive habit.
The Anaheim Ducks originally drafted Ryan in the first round of the 2005 Draft. He has scored 254 goals and 555 points in 833 career games. He maybe hasn’t been what people were expecting of the second overall pick but Ryan is still sixth in total points from his draft class. There is nothing preventing him from maintaining that pace and reaching the 600-point mark in the next season or two.
What This Means for the Future
This is basically a slap in Ryan’s face. Yes, he had a scheduled cap hit of $7.25 million for 2020-21 but this is a terrible move for Ottawa. It is deeply insensitive to a player who has struggled with alcohol took time to ensure it didn’t impact his life further. The fact that he won the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for that perseverance and still got waived should be deeply insulting to fans of both Ottawa and Ryan’s personal story. It comes across as excessively cheap for a franchise in desperate need of positive news.
Ryan should have little trouble finding an interested team. He will take a pay cut but teams will love having a skater who has scored .67 points per game in 13 seasons. Ottawa will owe him just under 11 million over the next four years. He will be a fascinating comeback story for next season if the right team signs him.
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