Oilers sign Derek Ryan to $1.8 million contract extension
Derek Ryan is sticking with the Edmonton Oilers.
The Oilers announced on Tuesday afternoon that they had re-signed Ryan to a two-year, $1.8 million deal that will carry a cap hit of $900,000. The 36-year-old is coming off a season in which he scored 13 goals and 20 points in 80 games and was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent.
Ryan suited up for an additional 11 postseason outings, scoring one goal while adding two assists.
“My family and I are super excited that we will be staying in Edmonton for the next 2 seasons,” Ryan posted on his Instagram account. “We love it here and we’re excited for what the future holds for us in Oil Country.”
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Despite being born in Spokane, Ryan has plenty of roots in Edmonton, as he played four seasons there playing with the University of Alberta’s Golden Bears from 2007 to 2011. In a recent end-of-season interview with Bob Stauffer, he admitted that during the 2021 offseason, he turned down a more lucrative extension with the Calgary Flames to join the Oilers as a free agent instead.
Ryan hit a significant milestone in his final regular season game this year, as it marked the 5ooth in his career. It wasn’t easy, as he took a very unusual path to the NHL.
He not only played in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS), a league that boasts very few NHL alumni, but he also never played in his first NHL game until age 29. He spent four seasons playing overseas in Europe before his first game.
Since that debut with the Carolina Hurricanes during the 2015-16 season, Ryan has gone on to score 76 career goals along with 191 points. He serves as an excellent reminder to never give up on your dreams, no matter how big they may be.
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