Since Ottawa Senators forward Bobby Ryan left his team to participate in the NHL/NHLPA assistance program back in November, a timeline for his return has not been given. That changed somewhat on Thursday as Sens' coach DJ Smith gave TSN some added information.
According to Smith, Ryan is still "a couple of weeks away from playing." While he has been practicing with the team since February 5th, Smith made it clear he is not yet ready to return.
A definitive reason for Ryan's entry into the assistance program was never announced by Ottawa and it wouldn't be fair to him to speculate. On the ice, Ryan has had his struggles this season. He's the Sens' highest paid player for now, at $7.25 million per year, and spent several games as a healthy scratch before leaving the team.
The interesting part is that a couple of weeks could have him ready to get back in the game right after the trade deadline. However, with two years left on his current deal, it's very doubtful another team would be willing to take him on, even if Ottawa was to retain a good portion of his salary. Still, it's not an impossibility. Unfortunately for Ryan, he's never really lived up to the contract he last signed with Ottawa, having his best season in 2015-16 when he recorded 22 goals and 56 points.
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