Bobby Ryan officially returns to Ottawa Senators training
Veteran forward Bobby Ryan has officially made his long-anticipated return to training with the Ottawa Senators this week.
The Ottawa Senators officially reunited with Bobby Ryan this week, with the veteran forward participating in training with the club for the first time since November.
After a game against the Detroit Red Wings, the 32-year-old former second-overall draft pick entered the NHL’s Players’ Assistance program on November 20th and returned to Ottawa just prior to the Christmas break.
The 6-foot-2, 209lbs winger has been skating on his own around the Canadian capital, being spotted by fans on social media but wasn’t ready to return to the team until this week.
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His return to training with the club is a positive step forward for Ryan in his recovery process, seeing him return to familiar surroundings and having his teammates and support network around him once again.
While he has stepped back onto the ice with his team, head coach D.J. Smith isn’t going to be rushing him back into the game night roster any time soon, with many months worth of training to catch up on before stepping into a competitive NHL game.
Ryan had a difficult start to the 2019/20 season before entering the Players’ Assistance program, registering just one goal and four total points in 16 regular-season games.
The hope now for Ryan is that he can regain his confidence and put up some points before the end of the season, giving him a much-needed boost to help get him back into the swing of things.
His return to training will no doubt please the rest of the Ottawa Senators roster, with many of them having played alongside him for a number of years.
He will not make the trip to Winnipeg or Colorado with the team this upcoming weekend, staying behind in the capital to work with player development co-ordinator Shean Donovan.
How many games Ryan features in from now until the end of the season is unknown, but all associated with the organisation will undoubtedly be hoping for and wishing him the best as the rest of the season progresses.
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What do you think Sens fans? Are you pleased to see Ryan back with the team? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!