Prior to officially announcing his retirement last week, former Edmonton Oilers forward Derek Ryan gave a wide-ranging interview with Bob Stauffer on Oilers NOW.
While it was just a small part of the 18-minute interview, Ryan’s comments criticizing how Oilers management handled his demotion to the American Hockey League (AHL) last season made all the headlines.
But that resulted in what should have been another attention-grabbing remark by Ryan flying under the radar. When told by Stauffer that he might make a good development coach one day, Ryan expressed a desire to have just such a role in Edmonton right now.
“I definitely would like to do something like that, and I wouldn’t mind being involved with the Oilers currently, because of the reach and the touch that I have in that locker room …” the 38-year-old native of Spokane, Wash., said.
Ryan Had Significant Off-Ice Role
In some respects, Ryan has already held a semi-coaching role with the Oilers: While he didn’t suit up for a single game in the 2025 NHL Playoffs, Ryan was with the Oilers for the entirety of the team’s run to the Stanley Cup Final.
“When you know that you’re not really going to be playing every night, it definitely takes the pressure off, and you just kind of become more of an advocate in the locker room, at least for me in my position with that group,” Ryan told Stauffer. “My voice carried a lot of weight with them and I had a lot of close relationships with those players … I think I had really tight bonds with everyone.
“I’m practising with the team, traveling with the team, I’m there for everything except (being) on the ice for games. But I’m also just trying to settle the boat when things are rocky. And when things are a little too high, settle people down, and when things are tough, we can boost people up,” Ryan continued. “So it’s just being more of a positive influence in the locker room, which I was doing when I was playing, but obviously when I wasn’t playing, that was becoming more of a focus, and that’s something that I could really take pride in.”
Ryan Has Respect in the Room
It’s not at all hard to envision a coaching role in Edmonton for Ryan, given how he already has the ears of his now-former teammates and is widely respected and beloved in the Oilers’ locker room.
As someone who just hung up his skates, Ryan could relate…
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