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I didn't get to write about the Derek Ryan and Austin Czarnik signings in as much detail as I wanted to when free agency opened up.
Now that the dust has settled a little bit, I'm going to take a closer look at the two.
On Derek Ryan
I generally am not a fan of giving multi-year deals to depth players on the wrong side of 30 but I think you can argue an exception is warranted in this case.
Through two full NHL seasons, the 31-year-old has registered 26 goals and 67 points in 147 games played. That averages out to be 37 per 82 games, which is a good number for a 3rd line forward.
Forty-five of the 67 points have come at 5v5, where Ryan has managed 1.49 points per 60 minutes played.
While not a crazy efficient number, that is more than the likes of Alex Steen, Timo Meier, Adam Henrique, Jonathan Drouin, Tomas Tatar and Joe Thornton, among others, have averaged over the same time frame.
He'll be a reliable depth scorer on a team that certainly needs it.
Another plus: he can drive play. The Hurricanes controlled 54.31% of the 5v5 shot attempts with Ryan on the ice over the last two years. While he was deployed in a somewhat sheltered offensive role, that's still encouraging.
Ryan is also a much-needed right-handed shot (eight of the team's nine leading scorers up front in 2017-18 were left-handed) and an elite faceoff man having won better than 56% of the draws in his career.
I think the importance of faceoffs is vastly overstated but they do hold *some* value and Ryan is an expert in that aspect of the game.
Though somewhat pricey, he checks off a lot of boxes and will be a solid addition to the Flames.
On Austin Czarnik
Czarnik was one of my favorite sleepers in this year's free agent class. The 25-year-old has been a prolific scorer at the AHL level for years and shown some encouraging signs when given a chance in the NHL.
In 59 games with Boston over the last two years, he posted an impressive 54 Corsi For% while producing 5v5 points at a comparable rate to Tomas Hertl, Kyle Okposo, Wayne Simmonds and Sam Bennett.
He did this despite spending a good chunk of his ice with Matt Beleskey, who ranks 438th among 441 eligible forwards (560+ minutes) in per 60 since the beginning of 2016-17.
Expecting him to be the next Yanni Gourde is unrealistic – Gourde is damn good! – but it is worth noting Czarnik produced points at the AHL level at a better clip than Gourde at the same age.
How much of that scoring will translate to the NHL remains to be seen but, if not anything else, Czarnik should be a capable depth player for the Flames. Certainly an upgrade over a lot of the guys they've consistently trotted out over the last few years.
Recent posts:
Flames eying long-term extension for Elias Lindholm
Five Flames file for arbitration
James Neal a necessary signing for the Flames
Flames sign Derek Ryan and Austin Czarnik
Reviewing the Flames' 2018 draft class
On the blockbuster trade between the Flames and Hurricanes
Dynamite U21 seasons from Andersson + Kylington put them in good company
Calgary Flames Blogger • 
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