Red Wings' Ryan: Buyout from Senators came as 'complete shock'

Detroit Red Wings forward Bobby Ryan didn't expect to find himself in a new city for the 2020-21 campaign.

The veteran winger had the final two years of his contract with the Ottawa Senators bought out in September after spending seven seasons with the club.

"It was about a minute conversation. There’s really not much to say," Ryan said, according to The Athletic's Craig Custance. "What do you say, really? I said, 'OK, thank you, good luck' and that’s it. It came as a complete shock … It was not the call I expected on that Friday morning for sure."

Ryan won the Bill Masterton Trophy in 2020 after publicly sharing his battle with alcohol abuse. The former first-round draft pick took three months off during the season to seek treatment and scored a hat trick upon his return to Ottawa in February.

The 33-year-old says he's forever grateful for the love and support he received from the city despite his abrupt ending with the organization.

"I’ve always liked the people in Ottawa," Ryan said, according to Custance. "I won’t say I ever truly fell in love with the city part of it. The people in the community are just incredible. I had so many ups and downs there. So many highs, like the playoffs. And lows, slumps, and last year. They always embraced me ... you never got the sense that they’d given up on you."

Ryan inked a one-year, $1-million deal with the rebuilding Red Wings in October. The 6-foot-2 right-handed shooter scored 15 goals and 42 points through 78 games during the 2018-19 season and now wants to prove he's still got plenty left in the tank.

"I knew that I needed to prove there is still some high-end hockey in me. I didn’t want to go somewhere and immediately be a third- or fourth-line guy. I still think I can play in the top six to nine."

The New Jersey native has amassed 254 goals and 555 points over 833 NHL contests.