Derek Ryan's perfectly satisfactory usage

[GioforPM]

If there were a bunch of players with better production and Ryan was still filling in for Backlund, and if the Flames weren't winning, the complaint would have more merit. But Backlund is out and his place is being taken by the guy with the next best production.

To complain, you are having to say "but there are players who I think have more potential". Except that Ryan has been bottom 6 all year and so have they, and Ryan has more points.

It's obvious that Peters doesn't want to split the top line and use Lindholm on the second line. So his choices are Jankowski (less points and you can make the "plays die on his stick" just as easily, Bennett (has not succeeded as a centre and has less points) or Czarnik (nope). Ryan is objectively probably the best stopgap centre.

[Karl]

I would rather Janko or even Bennett play centre ahead of Ryan.

[bax]

Originally Posted by The Boy Wonder

Puck dies more on Ryan’s stick than it ever did on brouwers

Let that sink in

This is not true

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Karl

I would rather Janko or even Bennett play ahead of Ryan.

On what objective basis? Points? Nope. Experience? Nope. Advanced stats? Nope.

All you can say is that you think they'd be suddenly be better than him without any history of actually doing so.

[Karl]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

On what objective basis? Points? Nope. Experience? Nope. Advanced stats? Nope.

All you can say is that you think they'd be suddenly be better than him without any history of actually doing so.

I believe they are more talented and better offensively than Ryan and that will eventually show. So yeah, potential. That's all.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Karl

I believe they are better offensively than Ryan and will eventually show that. So yeah, potential. That's all.

Between your belief based on nothing more than hope, and Peters experience and proven success so far, I think I will just let him do his thing.

[Savvy27]

I find it odd that people are complaining about Ryan's game tonight. He made a bunch of good plays. He was the puck carrier entering the zone on Monahan's PP goal. He was the guy driving to the post on Giordano's snapshot goal on the 2 on 1. He made a nice pass to Mangiapane that would have been a tap in if not for a great defensive deflection by Voracek. He made a few excellent cross-ice passes on the PP including one to Czarnik where he fanned on the one-timer.

I was really unhappy with him at the start of the year but he has grown on me. He's a smart player who plays the details of the game well. I actually really liked the look of the third line with him, Frolik and Neal. It seemed like they had some good chemistry before Frolik went down.


I don't think he's hurting the team. Obviously they are better with Backlund pushing him down the line up, but I don't mind him at all.

[Karl]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

Between your belief based on nothing more than hope, and Peters' experience and proven success so far, I think I will just let him do his thing.

I will never settle on that until Peters puts that player where I think he should be.

In Stajan's role

Because that's about all he's proved to me he's good enough for.

[DeluxeMoustache]

I do not like Ryan in the PP

If you need a guy to neutralize a game on both sides, though, he seems to do that well .

He has grown on me, like a fungus

[calgarywinning]

Ryan is not very good on the power play. I think he's often positioned there for his face off skill, but i'm not really seeing that from him either.

Outside of that, he's zippy, has a high hockey IQ, doesn't really hurt the team.

[SeanCharles]

The part about him on the PP that I think bugs me the most is he gets a lot of puck touches because he is on the right point and the puck gets worked around the boards or passed side-to-side to him fairly often.

He's not very good with all those puck touches and I'd much rather someone with more offensive acumen be in his spot.

I dont care if when healthy he plays 3rd or 4th line C as much as I don't like him paired with guys like Neal or Bennett.

I think I liked him the most when paired with Frolik and Hathaway to be honest and I like that as a 4th line.

[FlamesAddiction]

I was pretty apprehensive about Ryan when we signed him. I didn’t even know who he was until the rumours of him coming to Calgary started. A player of average stature and a relatively short NHL career considering his age. It seemed pretty risky. He is ok but not at his salary. Maybe it will payoff to have him as depth as the grind goes on though.

I would like to know where the idea came from that he is a defensive player though. He is good at face offs, but other than that he seems sort of average at everything.

[Lanny_McDonald]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

On what objective basis? Points? Nope. Experience? Nope. Advanced stats? Nope.

All you can say is that you think they'd be suddenly be better than him without any history of actually doing so.

Jankowski is a better producer in points/60 minutes played. That is playing with mediocre linemates and not getting fed any premium linemates and minutes like Derek Ryan.


Through 32 games, Ryan has almost 100 more minutes of ice time than Jankowski. Ryan has an astounding 52:50 of PP time. Seriously, the only player on the team that is getting more undeserved ice time is James Neal, and James Neal actually has a track record and history to fall back on that shows he is capable of scoring. Through 32 games there is no doubt that Peters has played favorites with Ryan. He's mostly pressbox material.

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

I was pretty apprehensive about Ryan when we signed him. I didn’t even know who he was until the rumours of him coming to Calgary started. A player of average stature and a relatively short NHL career considering his age. It seemed pretty risky. He is ok but not at his salary. Maybe it will payoff to have him as depth as the grind goes on though.

I would like to know where the idea came from that he is a defensive player though. He is good at face offs, but other than that he seems sort of average at everything.

The advanced stats indicate the Flames don’t give up a lot of shots or high quality shots when he is on the ice.

Which fits the Flames approach to winning games this year. The scoring comes from the big 4 up front and the other lines are playing the opposition even or slightly better. That and a strong back end is getting it done.

[PsYcNeT]

Is there a way to put posters on ignore, but only when their posts contain certain keywords (eg. "Ryan", "Smith", etc.)

Guy was a driver on two of tonight's goals but y'all are still up his ass about...not being Jankowski?

[Lanny_McDonald]

Originally Posted by PsYcNeT

Is there a way to put posters on ignore, but only when their posts contain certain keywords (eg. "Ryan", "Smith", etc.)

Guy was a driver on two of tonight's goals but y'all are still up his ass about...not being Jankowski?

Guy sees a thread discussing Derek Ryan and his overuse, then willingly comes in and complains about a thread about Derek Ryan and his overuse and blames posters for holding such discussion.

[Wolven]

Originally Posted by New Era

Jankowski is a better producer in points/60 minutes played. That is playing with mediocre linemates and not getting fed any premium linemates and minutes like Derek Ryan.


Through 32 games, Ryan has almost 100 more minutes of ice time than Jankowski. Ryan has an astounding 52:50 of PP time. Seriously, the only player on the team that is getting more undeserved ice time is James Neal, and James Neal actually has a track record and history to fall back on that shows he is capable of scoring. Through 32 games there is no doubt that Peters has played favorites with Ryan. He's mostly pressbox material.

Came in to say this as well. Jankowski has put up very similar stats as Ryan with much less ice time.

• Jankowski and Ryan have the exact same number of goals and points right now (4 & 10) but that is only because Ryan has 4 points on the powerplay.
• Going further, the Faceoff numbers are not that different. Ryan is 54.4% and Jankowski is 53.62%. So they would both be good options for PP2 to win a faceoff.
• Adding fuel to the fire though is the fact that Ryan is a -3 and Jankowski is a +3.

What makes me okay with these guy's current positions in the lineup is the reminder that Backlund is currently unavailable. Jankowski is building a good case to have earned the #3C position and when Backlund returns I hope that results in Ryan moving to #4C - faceoff specialist position.

But I would really like to see Jankowski in Ryan's PP2 spot for a few games to see if it makes that unit more successful.

[Jason14h]

Ryan drives me nuts but he is overused because (again) our young forwards have failed to step up . The coach doesn’t have confidence in Janko or Bennett, so what options does he have with the injury to Backs ?

[PsYcNeT]

Originally Posted by New Era

Guy sees a thread discussing Derek Ryan and his overuse, then willingly comes in and complains about a thread about Derek Ryan and his overuse and blames posters for holding such discussion.

FWIW I wasn't talking about you. There's a certain circle-jerk of posters (one of which is a post-ban re-reg) that never really have a point.

Moreso, this is unfortunately the only Derek Ryan specific thread.

[Karl]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

If there were a bunch of players with better production and Ryan was still filling in for Backlund, and if the Flames weren't winning, the complaint would have more merit. But Backlund is out and his place is being taken by the guy with the next best production.

To complain, you are having to say "but there are players who I think have more potential". Except that Ryan has been bottom 6 all year and so have they, and Ryan has more points.

No he doesn't. Ryan has the same amount of points as Bennett & Jankowski.

Originally Posted by GioforPM

It's obvious that Peters doesn't want to split the top line and use Lindholm on the second line. So his choices are Jankowski (less points and you can make the "plays die on his stick" just as easily, Bennett (has not succeeded as a centre and has less points) or Czarnik (nope). Ryan is objectively probably the best stopgap centre.

Not in my books. Janko and Bennett are more skilled offensively and better at creating their own offense than Ryan is. So unless Ryan stops being a huge black hole offensively and stops committing brutal turnovers like he did against Edmonton & Columbus and like he often does in other games (he's 3rd worst on this team in giveaways per 60 min), it's 4th line centre for him or no good.