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When Michael Ryder was signed to a two-year, $7 million contract by Lou Lamoriello and the Devils a year ago, the expectation was he'd be able to come in and help produce some of the offense lost with the departures of Ilya Kovalchuk, and to a lesser extent David Clarkson.
After a relatively good first half, Ryder's season turned into disaster quickly, and his inability to put the puck in the net cost the Devils down the stretch.
Ryder is a goal scorer, which means he's bound to be inconsistent at times. That's fine. Some are more consistent than others, but every goal scorer - check that, player - will have their struggles over the course of an 82 game campaign.
He scored 18 goals, which isn't horrendous given he's only making $3.5 million, and he played on a team with an obvious lack of talent up front. That said, more was needed.
What was alarming for the Devils was Ryder, who was brought in to fill the net, only scored twice over the final 36 games of the season. He didn't fare much better when it came to producing points, either.
When you're not driving possession - Ryder had a -1.5% Corsi rating relative to the team's average when he wasn't on the ice - and are a liability in the defensive zone, you have to produce offensively. Ryder didn't do that, and what's discouraging is his shooting percentage was around his average over the last five years or so, which means unless he starts putting more pucks on net, there shouldn't be much of a spike in goals next season.
Ryder fits into the mix many Devils forwards do: has talent, but inconsistent, not the fleetest of foot, and on the wrong side of 30.
Lou Lamoriello's year end quotes, and the urgency he showed
getting Jaromir Jagr re-signed lead me to believe he's not messing around this summer.
One change I think makes sense for all parties is moving Ryder. It would a) clear cap space for more financial flexibility and; b) clear a roster spot to bring in an upgrade on the wing, or for Reid Boucher, Stefan Matteau and other prospects within the system to fight for in training camp.
While Ryder's play this season won't have suitors lining up on the door, I believe he could be moved. Ryder won't fetch a big return, but any team looking for offense (Florida, Nashville, etc.) would likely be happy to take on a guy who should score 20+ goals on the cheap. Ryder has just one year left at a reasonable cap hit of $3.5 million, and the salary cap is expected to raise to over $70 million, so his contract shouldn't be a big obstacle if Lamoriello wants to move him.
It's possible Ryder remains with the Devils, but I don't think either side has been overly happy with this marriage so far, and it may make sense for the two to cut ties and move on.
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