An excerpt from ESPN (Scott Burnside):
Michael Ryder
Here’s another interesting situation. Coming out of the lockout, the native of Bonavista, Newfoundland, tallied back-to-back 30-goal seasons in Montreal. Yet, last season, he fell out of favor with coach Guy Carbonneau, spending considerable time in the press box and slumping to 14 goals in 70 games. For a team looking for a big winger who’s shown he can score at the NHL level, Ryder will certainly command much less money than others in this free-agent class. The new ownership group in Tampa has promised to bring in free agents, and Ryder will be looking for a new start. The Islanders will always struggle to land top-notch free agents and Ryder might benefit from playing under coach Ted Nolan, who’s terrific at reclamation projects.
