After spending another summer at his ranch in Idaho, Bobby Ryan is finally making the long trip back to Ottawa.
The Senators hope he’s coming in a whole lot hotter than he was when the 2014/2015 season wrapped up a few months ago.
Safe to say last season did not go the way Bobby was hoping it would. After getting off to a pretty solid start, Bobby Ryan went ice cold down the stretch and just couldn’t find a way to put the puck in the net. And while he ended the season with a respectable 54 points, the Senators just didn’t get enough from Ryan down the stretch.
In his season ending press conference, Ryan said he was at or close to 100% but the reality is, injuries were definitely an issue for Ryan last season. Even if he won’t admit it.
After undergoing sports hernia surgery the season before, Ryan seemed to be dealing with the lingering effects of that most of the season. I’m not a pro scout or anything but you could tell that core strength and drive from his legs was a major issue for Ryan last year. While hernia surgery is pretty standard, it’s entirely normal for the injury to become reaggravated or cause someone discomfort well after the surgery is complete.
When you add in that wrist injury that seemed to bother him for a couple months and you can understand why Ryan may not have been at the top of his game.
He suffered a pretty significant dip in shooting percentage (a career low 8.1%) over his career average so some of his struggles could be as simple as being a little unlucky. But because of that wrist injury, the fact is he just wasn’t shooting the puck with nearly as much velocity and accuracy as we’ve come to expect from Bobby Ryan.
The Senators need more from Ryan in 2015/2016.
Ryan is entering the first year of that monster seven year extension he signed last summer and at the $6.5 mil Ryan will earn next season, the Senators will be counting on Ryan to produce. Bryan Murray has been vocal about his desire for one more top six forward but that wouldn’t be necessary if Ryan emerged as the 30 goal scorer the Senators hope he can be on a regular basis over the next seven years of that contract.
It’s safe to assume Bobby Ryan will start the season on a line with Mike Hoffman and Mika Zibanejad. If Ryan can stay healthy and get hot early in the season, he should be a huge part of the Ottawa Senators’ offence this season.
What are you expecting from Bobby Ryan in 2015/2016?
