Surprised he stayed with Edmonton, but I also don't see RNH being a player that does anything well in particular. His funny moniker - Ryan Nothing Happens - is fairly apt, and coined by an Oilers Fan if I am not mistaken. He is a good player, with above average skills, but fairly vanilla in most of his attributes. I don't see him aging well.
It is ridiculous to cite this contract as better than Backlund's. Backlund is a very good 2-way centre who produces at his contract level while playing very tough minutes. Also, look at his career so far - how many wingers has he elevated while here. A centre that can play defence, put up good points doing a pretty good job at neutralizing opposing top lines, while his wingers normally experience career years next to him, and faltering without him? Backlund remains this team's most underappreciated player.
I know I prefer him over Ryan Nothing Happens every day of the week, especially not having to worry about an 8 year term.
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