Ottawa Senators Need Consistency From Skilled Bobby Ryan

Apr 2, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Ottawa Senators right wing Bobby Ryan (6) during the third period against the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center. The Flyers won 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Derik Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

The Ottawa Senators underachieved last season, but are a talented group of players. Perhaps no guy embodies the sentiment of puzzling underachievement quite like Bobby Ryan.

For 4 straight seasons with the Anaheim Ducks, Ryan scored at least 31 goals. He looked like he was on his way to becoming a star player in the league.

He was fulfilling the high expectations that were placed on him since the beginning of his career. In the 2005 NHL draft, only Sidney Crosby was drafted ahead of Ryan.

Given the monumental labels of grandeur attached to Crosby that maybe only Eric Lindros in recent history can relate to, the 2nd overall pick in 2005 might have very well gone 1st overall in nearly any other season.

Ryan didn’t disappoint, and established himself as a terrific goal scorer who utilized his strength out on the ice to make plays.

The year before he came to the Senators was the lockout shortened season of 2012-2013. It deserves a bit of an asterisk because of the unusual circumstances surrounding that unorthodox campaign, but it is still important to note that Ryan had just 11 goals in 46 games that year, which represented the lowest rate of his career by far.

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Nevertheless, the Senators were intrigued enough by Ryan’s prior performances to trade Jakob Silfverberg, Stefan Noesen, and a 2014 first round pick (Nick Ritchie) to obtain him.

Ryan scored 23 goals in 2013-2014, but he was hampered by a sports hernia injury for most of that season.

After signing a huge extension before the 2014 season for $50.75 million over 7 years, he made the All Star team, yet finished with only 18 goals.

Last season, Ryan improved his goal scoring total to 22, but the decreased production that has accompanied his tenure in Ottawa is unfortunate.

He has been extremely prone to long scoring droughts, particularly down the stretch. He didn’t score a goal in the last 16 games of the 2015-2016 season.

He was especially ineffective from February onward. In 32 games to finish out the season, he had 4 goals. This is a guy who routinely had 30 per season in Anaheim.

His time in Ottawa has been filled with goal droughts. In the 2014-2015 season, he scored 1 goal in his final 18 games, and he went the final 12 games he played without scoring a goal.

In 2013-2014, he scored just 1 goal in his final 10 games. This might have been due to the injury, but his next couple seasons didn’t do much to erase the trend of suddenly not being able to find the back of the net down the stretch.

Like Mike Hoffman, he’s a talented goal scorer who frustratingly picks inopportune times during a season to not keep up his goal scoring pace.

He didn’t have droughts at the end of the year when he played in Anaheim. During the 2010-2011 season, he had a stretch in December when he scored only 1 goal in 13 games, but there’s a big difference in getting the kinks out in the middle of the season before the battle for a playoff spot gets intense.

There are signs of optimism for Ryan as a Senators player, though. His point totals have increased in each of his seasons in Ottawa from 48, to 54, to 56. It should be a realistic expectation to have his first 60 point season since 2010-2011 next year.

Ryan is also the Senators’ best shootout option. He lead the team with 54.5% of his 11 attempts converted in shootouts in 2015-2016. He improved from his 36.4% conversion rate on his 11 attempts in 2014-2015.

He has been more adept at setting up his teammates with scoring chances since arriving in Ottawa, though. His assists totals of 36 and 34 over the last two seasons represent higher figures than any year he had in Anaheim except for his 37 assist output in 2010-2011.

Ryan has some frustrating bouts of not being able to score goals, but his assist totals are at least a tangible indication that his prowess as a playmaker hasn’t evaporated.

Next: Ottawa Senators Have Underrated Player in Marc Methot

Ryan has never lacked talent, and the Senators should optimistically expect him to increase his point total next season. If he can play more consistently, there’s no reason to believe that his goal scoring numbers can’t climb closer to what they looked like in Anaheim.

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