Derek Ryan retires after 10-season NHL career
NHL center Derek Ryan has announced his retirement from hockey, according to the NHL Players’ Association.
From undrafted to playing 606 NHL regular-season games, congratulations to Derek Ryan on officially announcing his retirement from playing the game! pic.twitter.com/r3VabQIxDL
— NHLPA (@NHLPA) September 5, 2025Ryan was an unrestricted free agent after the conclusion of his two-year contract with a $900,000 cap hit that he had signed with the Edmonton Oilers. While the reason for Ryan’s retirement wasn’t stated, the fact that it was announced this late in the summer likely indicates that he did not receive any interest from NHL teams for a contract, and decided to call it a career.
Ryan’s final season saw him get one goal and five assists for six points in 36 games with the Oilers. He also spent some time in the AHL with Edmonton’s minor-league affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors, where he had three goals and five assists for eight points in 13 games.
Ryan retires after a lengthy career that saw him play 606 games across 10 seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes, the Calgary Flames and the Oilers. In that time, he had 82 goals and 127 assists for 209 points, including a career-high of 15 goals in 2017-18 and a high of 38 points in 2017-18 and 2018-19. He also had three goals and seven assists for 10 points across 60 playoff games.
Ryan also represented the United States at the World Championships on two occasions in 2018 and 2019, with five goals and six assists for 11 points in 16 games, capturing a bronze medal with the team in 2018.
Ryan never won any awards in his NHL career, but did finish 29th in Selke voting in 2018-19 and 66th in Lady Byng voting in 2021-22, receiving one fifth-place vote on both occasions.
Ryan was originally undrafted, as his 5’8″ frame turned many NHL clubs away. It wasn’t until after four years at the University of Alberta and four more years in Europe that he finally attracted an offer from the Hurricanes to begin his NHL career.