EDMONTON – It was only a matter of time.
That's what Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said (basically) when forward Derek Ryan was put on waivers and sent down to the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL. It was only a matter of time until they were going to recall the veteran.
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That time appears to be now.
The Oilers made a recall official on Tuesday morning, before the team had their morning skate. Ryan provides many different elements to the big club.
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He's a penalty kill specialist, depth player, who has been incredible in the faceoff circle this season. Ryan played 33 games for the Oilers before he was sent down to the AHL in the middle of January.
He recorded five points while averaging 9:25 a game. Ryan boasts a 60.3 percent success rate in the faceoff circle this season. The right-handed forward (who primarily plays center) gives Knoblauch another faceoff weapon to utilize in specific situations.
In his 13 games with the Condors, Ryan has recorded three goals, five assists, and eight points while playing significant minutes. He's a well-liked teammate in the room and is a consummate professional.
When talking about the decision to send Ryan down, Knoblauch talked about what that decision meant to the team.
"Derek has just cleared waivers (it was) an extremely hard thing for the organization to do," Knoblauch revealed. "He means a lot to the coaching staff but (has) tremendous respect from the players."
"I believe there will be a time when he is back playing with us."
That time appears to be now.
The Oilers will go toe-to-toe with the Utah Hockey Club at home Tuesday night. Fans will have to wait until after the morning skate (and potentially warm-ups) to see if he will find a way onto tonight's playing roster.
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