23/24 Player Profile: Ryan Mcleod

Last Year

Ryan McLeod had an interesting season last year, filled with ups and downs. There were long contract negotiations which can be better described as contract disputes from his side. Despite that, he managed to set career highs in points. Unfortunately, he also faced a setback when he missed nearly two months (25 games) due to an injury.

McLeod was in a tough spot with the odds against him even before the season kicked off for 2022/23. He was coming off his entry-level contract, having played one full season where he scored 21 points in 71 games. Not bad for a rookie who projected to be a solid third-line center, looking to capitalize and make some money after a strong showing. The coaches and the players liked and trusted him, as Coach Jay Woodcroft had coached him through most of his entry-level contract in the minors for the Bakersfield Condors before he was recalled to the NHL shortly after Woodcroft got the call to become the Oilers’ newest bench boss. The problem, however, was money. The Oilers, after a few seasons where the salary cap did not increase, were left on an extremely tight budget. McLeod was their man, but they couldn’t afford to pay him much more than the minimum league salary. Contract negotiations went on all summer, and McLeod had to wait for the Oilers to make some moves and open up some money, but no financial relief came before the start of training camp.

McLeod finally secured a 1-year $798,000 contract on the opening day of training camp. Not the ideal start for McLeod. Now he has to get all ready to go that morning for the start of camp as he battles it out for what is assumed to be a role in the bottom 6, which he did eventually secure.

McLeod was rolling along, bouncing back between the third and 4th lines, doing an excellent job until late November when he went down with an injury that kept him out of the lineup for almost a month. When McLeod returned near Christmas, he lasted for another few months before missing almost another month with an injury from March 16 to April 11 (the end of the season). McLeod finished the year with only 57 games due to injury.

In those 57 games, though, McLeod made great use of his time, working his way up the depth charts and solidifying himself as the Oilers’ 3rd/4th line center. His time on ice on the penalty kill increased to 1:38 per game compared to 1:07 the year before, showing an increased role, responsibility, and trust from Jay Woodcroft. His total time on ice increased from 12:46 per game to 14:11 per game, again showing the growth in McLeod’s game and the trust of the team and coaching staff in him.

It was a major year of growth for McLeod, who went from a good rookie season with hope to solidify himself as the Oilers’ choice for the 3rd line center going into next season. With his increased role and trust on the defensive side of the game showing through his shorthanded time on ice, he also showed progress in the offensive zone, scoring 11-12-23 in 57 games. It’s two points more than in his rookie season, though he achieved it in 14 fewer games.

McLeod seems poised to take another step this season as well.

This Year

McLeod is already off to a better start this year. After getting squeezed out for any available savings to fit under the salary cap last year, this past summer, McLeod signed a contract extension on August 1, leaving him more than two months to leave the negotiations behind and just focus on being ready for camp. Players may say that it doesn’t affect their game at all. However, players are human too, and when your job is in doubt, it can affect a lot of things, including the level of preparation you put in for said job.

McLeod signed a reasonable deal for both sides: 2 years x $2.1 million. It’s a fair number with a short enough term that McLeod can really show what he’s made of and cash in on his next contract.

I can only see his upward trend continuing. Now, I don’t know if he’ll ever be a 50-point player, but McLeod will keep growing this year. As he gets more comfortable and hopefully avoids injury, he’ll be given more penalty kill responsibilities. It wouldn’t surprise me to see McLeod begin to transform into the Oilers’ top penalty killer, using his impressive speed to close down angles and keep opponent power plays at bay. Last year, Mattias Janmark led Oilers forwards with 1:57 per game shorthanded. This season, I believe McLeod will take a step and push for the top forward spot, increasing his time on ice shorthanded to 1:55 per game. With his blazing speed, I’d expect him to sometimes be able to catch opposing power plays off guard and have a lot of shorthanded chances like he did last year. Posting 5 points this year on the penalty kill.

With an increased role as the third-line centre and continued growth, McLeod should be on track to hit the 15-goal mark for the first time in his career, surpassing the 11 he scored in 57 games last year. Last year, McLeod scored at a pace that would have given him 15 goals over the course of an 82-game schedule, so expecting a little more from him this season shouldn’t be unreasonable. Leaving McLeod with a slight increase, he’ll project for 17 goals this season.

Last season, McLeod was on pace for 17 assists. With a little bit of growth and no interruptions from injuries, he should aim for 19 assists. Six more goals and seven more assists would be great improvement for a player of McLeod’s caliber and would provide an excellent boost of secondary scoring behind the Oilers’ already potent top 6.

Projected

Ryan McLeod 17-19-36 in 82 GP.

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Zach Hyman