Bruins bring in Ryder
Ex-Canadien signs for 3 years, $12m
On the first day of NHL free agency, the plan was for Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli to conduct a 6 p.m. conference call.
But that call was delayed by nearly four hours because Chiarelli was waiting for an answer from the target he had all day: Montreal winger Michael Ryder.
More than two hours after the Bruins made their final offer last night, Ryder accepted and crossed over to the other side of the rivalry, signing a three-year, $12 million contract.
"He's a player we coveted," Chiarelli said. "We feel he'll make our team better. We're happy to have him. He's up on my board now."
The 28-year-old Ryder, a native of Bonavista, Newfoundland, had back-to-back 30-goal seasons, putting up a 30-25 -55 line in 2005-06 and recording 30-28 -58 totals in 2006-07. Ryder has a history with Bruins coach Claude Julien, who was his bench boss with Hull of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Hamilton of the AHL, and the Canadiens. Julien, along with Chiarelli and vice president Cam Neely, were involved in recruiting Ryder.
"Claude played a big factor based on his relationship with him," Chiarelli said. "They have a real good relationship and trust. Cam spoke about the city and the growing emergence of the Bruins, how we're trying to turn things around. He's seen that firsthand. He liked what he saw."
According to Chiarelli, Montreal granted exclusive negotiating rights to Ryder to an undisclosed team prior to free agency. Chiarelli said there were at least two other teams chasing Ryder.
Ryder is a shoot-first right wing whose offensive philosophy is similar to Glen Murray's scoring style. The 6-foot, 186-pound Ryder has 99 goals in 314 career NHL games.
Ryder regressed in 2007-08 under Canadiens coach Guy Carbonneau, lowering his value on the open market. During the regular season, Ryder appeared in 70 games and scored only 14 goals and had 17 assists. He dressed for only four of the seven playoff games against the Bruins, and didn't record a point.
"I'd characterize him as being in the doghouse," Chiarelli said. "I don't know the facts behind it. I know a little bit about it, talking to Michael and his agent and seeing from afar what was going on. I don't know what to attribute that to. They had some very skilled players. Every time we played him, he played hard. He was dangerous. He's a player I feel has very strong potential to continue scoring at the level he has in the past. He's had two 30-goal years. He's a guy who's had a history with Claude. You have to knock that year out of the box when projecting on him."
Ryder's signing brings Boston's salary cap number to just over $54 million. With defenseman Dennis Wideman expected to receive at least a $3 million salary in arbitration, the Bruins project to be over the $56.7 million cap. They must be below the number by the time the 2008-09 season starts.
Given their cap situation, the Bruins most likely will not be in the market for additional free agents. Chiarelli said he had preliminary negotiations yesterday with Marian Hossa, but the sniper would be far too pricey. Also, the Bruins were not in the top tier of Hossa's preferred teams.
"We'll look to improve our team," Chiarelli said. "But it's unlikely that I'll continue in the free agent market unless we make a trade or move some money."
The Bruins locked up free agent forward Blake Wheeler earlier in the day. The 21-year-old Wheeler signed a two-year entry-level contract and will earn the maximum $875,000 per season if he makes the big club. The 6-4, 215-pound forward is expected to start his pro career in Providence.
Wheeler was a first-round pick of Phoenix, but on May 9, he informed the Coyotes he would be turning pro instead of returning to the University of Minnesota for his senior season. Phoenix had 30 days to sign the fifth overall selection from the 2004 draft, but Wheeler didn't come to an agreement. He then chose Boston over three other Eastern Conference clubs.
The Bruins said goodbye to two players from 2007-08: goalie Alex Auld and center Glen Metropolit. Auld signed a two-year, $2 million contract with Northeast Division rival Ottawa and should push Martin Gerber for the starting job. Metropolit signed a two-year contract with Philadelphia for an undisclosed amount.
