Oilers Reporter States Veteran Forward Could Soon Be Cut From The Team
Jason Gregor of the Jason Gregor Show explains to his viewers that Oilers veteran forward Derek Ryan maybe cut do too a drop in responsibility.
Gregor explained his reasons as Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch is no longer using Ryan as a penalty killer which is one of the primary roles of a bottom 6 player. He also feels that the Oilers may keep him on the team as they do not feel Oilers center Noah Philp is ready to take the next step in his game.
Ryan has yet to score this season as he has played eighteen games, has 2 assists and is a - 2 with eight penalty minutes. He has seen a decrease in his ice time every year and currently he is averaging 9 minutes and 52 seconds per game.
The 37-year-old undrafted center began his career in 2015 with the Carolina Hurricanes where he spent three seasons up until 2018 when he was with the Oilers archrival the Calgary Flames. This is his fourth season with the Oilers and it appears that he may be on the wrong side with father time.
The Oilers are trying to juggle their lines to find consistency and dealing with the injury bug as Zach Hyman is the latest Oiler to fall to injury. The coaching staff will expect more from Ryan as the team will need to make up the difference in their depleted offense.
The Oilers will face a tough test on Saturday as they will face off against the New York Rangers but then the team will have a long respite as they will play the Utah hockey club on Friday November 29th which will give the team plenty of time to heal their wounds and to look at their roster in depth.
The Rangers game will take place at 10:00 PM eastern at Rogers Place.
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