The Carolina Hurricanes signed a defenseman. Joakim Ryan Ryan signed a one-year, two-way contract. The contract carries a league-minimum salary of $775,000 at the NHL level and $110,000 at the AHL level. Ryan returns to the Hurricanes organization after spending the past three years with the Malmo Redhawks of the SHL. He had a prolific role with the Swedish club, appearing in all 156 games and totaling 64 points. This included Ryan's 31-point season in 2021-22, which was the second-highest scoring season of his professional career, surpassing his 49-point year from the 2016-17 AHL season.
After playing juniors in the USHL and collegiate hockey at Cornell University, Ryan was drafted by the San Jose Sharks in the seventh round of the 2012 NHL Draft, playing his first hockey outside of the United States with a move to Sweden. Ryan finished out the final two years of his collegiate career before turning pro, ultimately appearing in 123 games with the Big Red and earning a total of 78 points. That performance continued strong as Ryan moved to the AHL in 2015-16, playing in 66 games and earning 28 points as a rookie. He then had the best year of his career in his second year as a pro, eventually performing well enough to earn a full-time NHL role in the 2017-18 season. However, Ryan didn't take much advantage of that opportunity, earning just 12 points in 62 games as an NHL rookie, and gradually slipping out of the everyday role over the next three seasons.
That connection didn't get any stronger when Ryan moved clubs, signing a one-year deal at the league minimum after stints with the Los Angeles Kings and Carolina Hurricanes. He's since scored 24 points in 145 games. Ryan showed glimpses of his rediscovered offensive talent in Sweden, but he'll need to continue honing his talents if he wants to maintain his restored role in North America.
