Bobby Ryan’s 45-minute phone conversation with Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman earlier this week was enough to convince him he didn’t need to speak with any other teams.
It persuaded Ryan, a 33-year-old right wing who was the second pick in the 2005 draft behind Sidney Crosby, to sign a one-year, $1 million contract with the Red Wings Friday, when NHL free agency began.
“I knew where I wanted to be based on my conversation (with Yzerman) and the passion that just comes through for the Red Wings through him is contagious,” Ryan said. “I walked out of the room and told my wife, ‘I think we’re signing in Detroit.’ I didn’t feel I needed to hear anything else from anybody.”
Just in case, a call to Dylan Larkin assured Ryan that while the Red Wings are down now, players are committed to reversing their fortunes, and he can provide a boost with his scoring ability, right-handed shot and leadership.
“He mentioned, ‘You can come in and we can be a much more competitive team,’ ” Ryan said. “We’re a year older, we dealt through a little more (adversity), there’s going to be some other players coming in.’ They have a good feeling they’re going to be a much more competitive team. That’s all I needed to hear.
“I did ask, ‘Are you guys bogged down by the losing? Has it gotten to you in the sense that you’re just accepting it?’ Because that would have been a big red flag for me. One thing that was told to me was, ‘Coach (Jeff Blashill) would have been fired if we all accepted that.’ So, you understand this is not a group of guys that wants to lose. And they’re not going to lose for long. I hope I can help facilitate them into that next stage.
“I selfishly have dreams of getting back to the Bobby Ryan I was early Ottawa/late Anaheim days. I know that’s a tall order, but that’s the expectations I’m going to continue to set for myself.”
Yzerman said he was impressed Ryan did his homework on the Red Wings.
“He wants to be a part of the rebuild,” Yzerman said. “He wants to be a mentor for our younger players but wanted to make sure he was going into an environment where the young guys were motivated, they had pride and want to win. He’s got a lot of wisdom to share with our guys and at the same time he wants to get his career going again and play a lot more hockey.”
Ryan (6-2, 204) is coming off a tumultuous season in which he missed more than two months after entering the NHL/NHLPA substance assistance program due to struggles with alcoholism and post-traumatic stress disorder.
He appeared in only 24 games (five goals, three assists) and earned the Masterton Trophy for sportsmanship, dedication and perseverance.
He said he dropped 5-10 pounds in the off-season, joking that forgoing a bottle of wine a day helped. He improved his work ethic, training in Idaho as soon as the season was paused due to COVID-19. Now he is working with a skating coach at his home in Nashville.
“I embraced not drinking and turned to fitness,” Ryan said. “Definitely leaner and just doing things differently. Trying to get out of my element and comfort zone as much as I can to be a better player.”
He is not the player who scored more than 30 goals four consecutive seasons with Anaheim from 2008-2012. But after being bought out of the final two years of his contract by Ottawa, Ryan said he is determined to show the hockey world he has something left.
“When you play for 13 years, at times it gets grinding but you forget that it’s a sport and you’re not supposed to take it for granted, and I certainly was doing that for a good period of time,” Ryan said. “No. 1, I’d like to prove to myself I have more in me. And No. 2, I guess (prove to) everybody else. There’s going to be naysayers because of my age and (lack of) speed.”
Ryan said he and Yzerman talked about his shooting ability.
“I certainly can still do that,” Ryan said. “I had seven broken fingers in four years. Every time I felt like I was getting better, I’d have a small fracture and it would just continue to get worse. (The long break) allowed my body the chance to really heal. It allowed me to get set in my new lifestyle. When the season starts, I think I’m way better equipped to handle things.”
Yzerman said many of his own connections in Ottawa spoke highly of Ryan.
“Bobby was genuinely excited about the role he would play with the team on the ice and off the ice,” Yzerman said. “He had options and he thought this was a good spot for him to come and play.”
Ryan’s Senators were bad in 2019-20, finishing 30th overall, but the Red Wings were much worse, finishing 23 points behind them. Ryan, however, likes what he sees from their top forwards.
“There was an opportunity to slot in there and potentially play with Larks and Tyler Bertuzzi or (Anthony) Mantha and (Robby) Fabbri,” Ryan said. “There’s some high-end skill up front that needed some right wing experience.”
Teams were granted permission to speak to Ryan prior to the start of free agency because had been bought out. Yzerman was the first to call and Ryan was impressed.
“Steve did his homework and found out through sources that I’ve been well-liked in my career by the young guys and I’ve been very good in the locker room for those guys,” Ryan said. “They can lean on me and my experience in going through some of that (losing, off-ice issues).
“Through the ups and downs of my career the last couple of years, I’ve maintained being a good guy through it all means a lot to me.”
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