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Bobby Ryan nervous, anxious after Senators trade

Bobby Ryan

Bobby Ryan #9 of the Anaheim Ducks awaits a face off during the NHL game against the Phoenix Coyotes at Jobing.com Arena on March 31, 2012 in Glendale, Arizona. The Coyotes defeated the Ducks 4-0. (March 30, 2012 - Source: Christian Petersen/Getty Images North America)

It’s been nearly a month since the Ottawa Senators acquired Bobby Ryan from the Anaheim Ducks and one of the first things he had to adjust to is the passion and engagement of the Senators’ fanbase.

He’s already done, by his count, 40-50 interviews since the trade and in a recent media event at Bell Sensplex, reporters and cameramen completely filled a bench for a press conference with Ryan.

“I told somebody up there that the only time we see more than five or six reporters in the room in Anaheim is if we’re playing [Los Angeles] or a Canadian-based team, so this is a much different scale than I have seen before,” Ryan said, according to NHL.com. “I wasn’t quite prepared for it, but that’s why I say it was an eye-opener and it was one of those experiences I won’t ever forget.”

On the ice, he doesn’t expect his role to fundamentally change. Ryan is projected to be paired up with Jason Spezza and take advantage of the center’s playmaking abilities. Even still, he admits that moving away from the Anaheim Ducks organization, which drafted him in 2005, makes him nervous.

“I’ve been through eight training camps with the Ducks and you know what you’re going to get,” Ryan said. “You know what each day will bring, what the physical testing will be like and what is expected of you on the ice. I haven’t seen a whole lot outside of Anaheim in eight years, so this is brand new for me. I think nerves play a big part into it. I’m anxious to get going.”

In the meantime, he’s spending his summer primarily in Idaho, in a place he described as “in the middle of nowhere.” That gives him an opportunity to disconnect, which will starkly contrast what life will be like for him during the 2013-14 campaign.

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