Per Hailey Salvian of the Athletic:
According to GSVA (Game Score Value Added), Joakim Nordstrom is the worst forward the Flames have.
By virtue of having him on the fourth line, the Flames have the 24th ranked 4th line and two replacement level wingers next to Sam Bennett.
If they place Ryan next to Bennett, the Flames' expected win percentage goes from 51.6% (28 wins) to 52.8% (29 wins). So, putting Ryan in instead of Nordstrom means the Flames win another whole game. That's actually a pretty big impact relative to such a simple change.
They can still play Nordstrom for all the Sens games and put Ryan on the taxi squad for all the days off to maximize the salary cap gains.
I hope they play Ryan next to Bennett instead of Nordstrom.
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