Injury Will Keep Bobby Ryan in Detroit Ahead of NHL Deadline

The Detroit Red Wings are sellers ahead of this year’s NHL trade deadline, but one player is likely no longer available thanks to an injury is Bobby Ryan. The Red Wings announced today that Ryan is expected to miss the remainder of the regular season with an upper-body issue.

Coach Blashill says Fabbri, Gagner, Nemeth are out tomorrow and that Bobby Ryan (upper body) is expected to be out for the remainder of the season.

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) April 9, 2021

Ryan is a pending unrestricted free agent and the expectation was that he’d be moved prior to Monday’s deadline. He’s talked at great length about being open to staying with the team but knew the business side of signing a low-cost, one-year deal likely meant he’d be an attractive add for a team if he’d had a strong season. Before his injury, Ryan had seven goals and 14 points in 33 games.

No team will want to take on a player that could miss the rest of the season and there are questions about how effective he’ll be if he returns in time for a playoff push. Whether or not the Red Wings now look at extending him since they won’t get an asset for him ahead of the deadline is unclear. The Red Wings fan base seems to be in favor of the idea, however.

Is A Ryan One-Year Extension a Good Idea for Detroit?

The Red Wings are rebuilding and could potentially use an experienced leader like Ryan. At the same time, the plan is to go younger and give time to the prospects and up-and-coming talent on the roster. Ryan is a player with a rich injury history and the Red Wings may elect to move on, even if he’d be available for cheap on another one-year deal at the end of the season.

But, there are worse things in the world for the Red Wings to consider as they’re unlikely to be contenders next season and need inexpensive contracts to fill out their roster while they wait for prospects to develop.

Next: Kyle Turris Waived by Edmonton Oilers Ahead of Deadline