How will Bobby Ryan being out change Detroit’s Plans?

With the trade deadline looming, Detroit Red Wings fans received some shocking news this morning: Bobby Ryan is expected to be out for the rest of the season.

Detroit’s Trade Hopes Down the Drain

It’s hard to paint this in any sort of positive light. Ideally, come Monday afternoon, Bobby Ryan would be packing his bags, on his way to a Stanley Cup contender. And Steve Yzerman would have another draft pick in his pocket.

But it looks as if neither will come to fruition. As the season ends for Bobby Ryan, so will the phone calls to Yzerman.

How this will affect the Trade Deadline

With a GM that rarely shows his hand before it’s dealt, it can be hard for Detroit fans to get a read on a situation like this. However, there are two likely outcomes that will result from this injury.

A) This deadline will be even more boring for Detroit fans. Yzerman decides to hold off on selling the other assets, and we see one or zero players dealt by Monday.

B) Yzerman is dedicated to the cause of acquiring draft picks, and fills the Ryan gap in the trade block with another UFA or RFA, such as Sam Gagner or Adam Erne. Instead of Ryan being shipped out,  some of the other depth forwards are traded away for lower-quality draft picks.

Unfortunately, the likely scenario is A. With so much uncertainty in such a strange year, teams will likely opt to hold on to future assets instead of risking it for a COVID-themed run at the cup. Don’t be surprised if this is a very, very quiet deadline for not just Detroit, but for the league in general.

Are there any Positives for Detroit?

The major positive here is Bobby Ryan likely returning to Detroit next season. Ryan seems to be really enjoying his time in Detroit, and reportedly would like to return with the Red Wings for another season according to the Athletic’s Max Bultman.

Another positive is that it keeps youth on the roster. While Bobby Ryan has been injured, Evgeny Svechnikov and Givani Smith have been able to fill in. With Ryan out the rest of the season, there is a higher chance that one or both stay up for the rest of the year.