Derek Ryan's perfectly satisfactory usage

[Huntingwhale]

He's really come into his own as the season has gone along. Colour me 'shocked' a new player took a while to find his grove....

Sarcasm aside, I like how he's found a role on the team and plays it well. Definitely an upgrade on Stajan or whatever bottom 6 C he replaced from last season. His wrap around goal, and 2 on 1 pass vs Carolina were nice to watch.

[Erick Estrada]

It takes time for players to get acclimated on new teams. It looks like Ryan in the 2nd half of this season is settling in and looking like the player in Carolina last season. He's a nice utility player and his faceoff skills can't be understated as he's at 57% right now which is pretty good.

[Huntingwhale]

Someone mentioned it in the other thread, but I think he deserves a promotion to line 3. Not a knock on Janko, but Ryan IMO deserves recognition for how he's played and I think he'd do well with a bit more skill on his wings (Neal + Bennett).

[Geeoff]

Originally Posted by Huntingwhale

Someone mentioned it in the other thread, but I think he deserves a promotion to line 3. Not a knock on Janko, but Ryan IMO deserves recognition for how he's played and I think he'd do well with a bit more skill on his wings (Neal + Bennett).

I think Peters is deploying Ryan perfectly and he's excelling in the role he's been given. Don't see a need to change it.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Geeoff

I think Peters is deploying Ryan perfectly and he's excelling in the role he's been given. Don't see a need to change it.

The better solution is to acquire a better 3C (or get a playmaking LW and move Bennett to the middle) and then move Janko down in place of Mangiapane.

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

It takes time for players to get acclimated on new teams. It looks like Ryan in the 2nd half of this season is settling in and looking like the player in Carolina last season. He's a nice utility player and his faceoff skills can't be understated as he's at 57% right now which is pretty good.

Among players to take 400 or more faceoffs this season, he is 6th in the NHL in winning%.

Yeah, he is pretty good at them.

[jayswin]

Derek Ryan's underuse.

[Flamenspiel]

I really like Ryan where he is, and he has made Hathaway a better player. No need to make any major moves, just upgrade the left wing position with a bigger faster player that can score as well. My pick would be Ryan Dzingel.

[TheIronMaiden]

Bill Peters in game player management is world class. Granted, Treliving has given him lots to work with, still, he regularly puts players in a position to succeed.

[TheScorpion]

The one major change that I've noticed with Ryan is that he's become a far more confident passer, to the point where he's become a focal point on PP2. It's rare to see him miss the mark on a pass; that had been frustratingly common earlier in the season.

However, it doesn't seem like he's made any sacrifices in his defensive game. He's really become a much more complete player, much more like the one I watched (and wanted the Flames to get) in Carolina. In the case of another brief Backlund absence, I think he'd do a much better job filling in this time around than he did the first. He still lacks size, but allegations that he easily gets bumped off the puck are misguided, some. He's no Jankowski in that regard, but he's still pretty good on the forecheck and without a doubt is a great penalty-killer. When you can get a utility guy like that for $3 million who's useful in both special-teams situations and is overall on pace for around 30 points... that's a big deal.

Good work, Treliving, and good work, Derek.

[oldschoolcalgary]

Ryan really impressed me yesterday... hoping its not the 'old team bump' that guys like Hamilton have...

I agree that even on the PP2 he looked really good yesterday...

Ryan is really turning into more than just a faceoff specialist; he's got more to his skill game... that fourth line suddenly looks a lot better with Ryan playing well with Hathaway

[EldrickOnIce]

Originally Posted by oldschoolcalgary

Ryan really impressed me yesterday... hoping its not the 'old team bump' that guys like Hamilton have...

I agree that even on the PP2 he looked really good yesterday...

Ryan is really turning into more than just a faceoff specialist; he's got more to his skill game... that fourth line suddenly looks a lot better with Ryan playing well with Hathaway

Ryan has been great for, well, a long time.
A slow 20 or so games to start the season, but very valuable since then.

[Bingo]

Great game for the bottom half of the forward group as a whole.

Thought Jankowski, Bennett, Neal and Ryan were all noticeable. Good sign, because the top line struggled.

[tvp2003]

Ryan's a smart player, works hard, and turns 50/50 pucks into 60/40 plays. The offence is a plus but he contributes in other ways as well (faceoffs, PK, puck possession).

Between him and Backlund, I think Janko has two really good centers to learn from. Janko of course is still young, and has the better physical tools and scoring touch, so I think sheltered "third line" minutes is the perfect place for him and Neal. If anything, I might bump Mangiapane to that line and slot Bennett with Ryan and Hathaway and give them the tougher assignments.

[TheScorpion]

I think the biggest turning-point for these Flames was that awful loss to Montreal on November 15. (Coincidentally, November 15 was also the big turning-point for the 2016-17 Flames).

After the loss to Montreal on November 15, the Flames were 10-8-1. Gaudreau had 19 points in 19 games, Ryan had 3 points and had been a healthy scratch, Bennett only had 4 points, Backlund only had 3 goals, Hanifin and Brodie only had 5 points, and Smith had a 5-7-1 record with a .876 SV%.

In the 34 games since:

- Gaudreau has 55 points in 34 games
- Ryan has 16 points in 34 games
- Backlund has 10 goals (and 20 points) in 30 games
- Bennett has 16 points in 32 games
- Hanifin has 21 points in 34 games
- Brodie has 22 points in 34 games
- Smith has been relegated to backup, and has gone 9-3-0 with a .902 SV%
- Rittich has excelled as starter with a 15-3-4 record and a .913 SV%

That's a testament to the strength of the team -- and Ryan has been a huge part of it.

[bax]

Ryan is an underacted passer. Those two assists he had against Detroit in the third come to mind as well as the feed to Hathaway in Carolina. The goal was pretty nifty too.

[joejoe3]

How did the nickname DOC came about?

[LWcrowfoot]

Originally Posted by joejoe3

How did the nickname DOC came about?

(For the record, Peters explained that the nick-name ‘Doc’ comes from his initials: D.R., a moniker given to him by teammates in Spokane)

https://calgarysun.com/sports/hockey...aceoff-prowess
For hockey players that's an ingenious nickname.

[TheScorpion]

It also comes from the fact that he was studying to be a pharmacist at U of A

[dino7c]

He has played well all year...First rule, if you want Intel on a player don't ask a Canes fan.