Junior After winning national championships with his
minor hockey team, the Los Angeles Junior Kings, Ryan initially committed to playing for the
USA Hockey's
National Team Development Program at the under-18 level. Despite telling
Ontario Hockey League (OHL) teams he would not play
major junior, Ryan was selected by the
Owen Sound Attack seventh overall in the 2003 OHL Selection Draft. He was ultimately persuaded to play for the team Ryan was, however, sent back to Portland after four games. He was recalled on March 7, 2008, when
Corey Perry's leg injury sidelined him for the remainder of the regular season. during 2007 pre-season play In the following
2008–09 season, Ryan once again made the opening roster, but was to be sent down to the Ducks' new AHL affiliate, the
Iowa Chops, due to salary cap issues. He was recalled during the season and recorded a
natural hat trick, the first hat trick of his NHL career, on January 8, 2009, against Los Angeles at the
Staples Center in a 4–3 loss. In doing so, he became the first rookie in Ducks history to record a
hat trick, it being the fastest of any player in the 15-year history of the franchise. On March 22, 2009, Ryan broke the franchise rookie point record set by
Dustin Penner after tallying two assists for his 46th point in an Anaheim win over the
Phoenix Coyotes. On April 22, 2009, Ryan was named a finalist for the
Calder Memorial Trophy, along with
Steve Mason of the
Columbus Blue Jackets and
Kris Versteeg of the
Chicago Blackhawks—Mason ultimately won the award. On September 14, 2010, just prior to the
2010–11 season, the Ducks signed Ryan to a five-year, $25.5 million contract extension. On December 12, during a game against the
Minnesota Wild, left-handed captain
Mikko Koivu stole Ryan's stick while in the Ducks' offensive zone, whereupon the right-handed Ryan picked up Koivu's stick and scored a goal with it. The play was later named number one on
TSN's
SportsCentre's "Top 10 NHL Oddities" list. in
2012 in 2012 During the
2012–13 NHL lockout, Ryan, being locked out of the
2012–13 NHL season, signed with
Mora IK of the Swedish
HockeyAllsvenskan alongside fellow NHL player
Anze Kopitar. He played 11 games for Mora before returning to the Ducks for training camp after an agreement to end the lockout was reached. On November 24, 2012, Ryan participated in Operation Hat Trick, a charity hockey game at
Boardwalk Hall in
Atlantic City to raise money for
Hurricane Sandy victims.
Ottawa Senators On July 5, 2013, Ryan was acquired by the
Ottawa Senators in exchange for forwards
Jakob Silfverberg,
Stefan Noesen and a first-round draft pick in
2014 (used to select
Nick Ritchie). Ryan registered 23 goals in his first season with the Senators, a season cut short by injury—on March 27, 2014, it was announced via
Twitter that he would undergo season-ending sports hernia surgery to repair an injury he had been dealing with since November 2013. On October 2, 2014, the Senators announced they had signed Ryan to a seven-year, $50.75 million contract extension, a deal that would keep him with the team through the 2021–22 season. Ryan responded with his first
All-Star Game appearance after being selected to represent Team
Foligno at the
2015 NHL All-Star Game in
Columbus, Ohio, on January 25, 2015. Ryan struggled during the
2016–17 regular season earning only 25 points in 62 games while also coping with injuries. However, he proved to be an asset to the team in the
2017 Stanley Cup playoffs, scoring four goals in six games during the first round of the playoffs against the
Boston Bruins, helping the Senators to move onto the second round against the
New York Rangers. He finished the playoffs with six goals and nine assists as the Senators were eliminated in double overtime in game seven of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins. In the
2019–20 season, Ryan missed approximately three months while attending an NHL player assistance program. It was later revealed by Ryan that he had entered the program due to ongoing struggles with
alcohol abuse. He returned to NHL action on February 25, 2020, in an away game versus the
Nashville Predators. In his first post-rehab home game two days later, Ryan made headlines by scoring his fifth career
hat trick. On September 7, Ryan was awarded the
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy by the NHL for perseverance and dedication to hockey. On September 25, 2020, Ryan was placed on unconditional waivers for the purpose of buying out the final two years remaining on his contract with the Senators. The following day, Ryan cleared waivers and became a
free agent for the first time in his career.
Detroit Red Wings On October 9, 2020, the first day of free agency, Ryan signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the
Detroit Red Wings. Ryan scored his first goal for the Detroit Red Wings in a 4-2 win against the Carolina Hurricanes on January 16, 2021. Ryan was offered a professional try-out in the Red Wings' 2021 training camp, but he was released at the end of camp. Ryan did not officially retire from pro hockey at that point, although he joked about being retired in a tweet. He was still receiving his buyout money from the Senators and if he officially retired, he would have forfeited that money. Ryan's buyout money ended in 2024. ==International play==