Edmonton Oilers forward Derek Ryan cleared waivers on Monday, a day after the club placed him there, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reported.

While there was some concern about another team claiming the journeyman, that wasn’t the case. Oilersnation’s Jason Gregor reported Ryan is expected to be assigned to the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors.

Ryan, 38, has appeared in 33 games for the Oilers this year, scoring a goal and five points, but has started to find himself as a healthy scratch more often than not in recent weeks. The team recalled Noah Philp from the Condors last week, and has had him as the fourth-line centre in each of the Oilers’ last three games.

The plan was for the team to give Philp some run ahead of the NHL’s Trade Deadline to see if he was ready to play regular NHL minutes. Philp has tallied one assist in six games this season, and with him on the ice at five-on-five, the team has controlled 47.4 percent of the shot attempt share, 46.5 percent of the expected goal share and 46.3 percent of the scoring chance share, while outscoring the opposition 2-0.

Ryan, now in his fourth season with the team, is in the second year of a two-year deal paying him $900,000 per year. According to The Athletic’s Daniel Nugent-Bowman, Ryan was aware when he signed that extension it was a possibility he could be scratched and potentially waived. While he’s spent time as a healthy scratch, he’s also seen a dip in utilization as of late, too.

In his first 20 games of the season, Ryan averaged 9.3 minutes of five-on-five ice time and half a minute per game on the penalty kill. In his most recent 13, however, he’s averaged 8.3 five-on-five minutes and 15 seconds per game on the penalty kill.

Ryan has been a great piece of the Oilers puzzle since signing with the team as a free agent in July 2018. The Oilers for years had struggled to find right-shot, depth centres, and Ryan has filled the role well.

Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s associate editor, senior columnist, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the DFO DFS Report. He can be followed on Twitter, currently known as X, at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.