Ryan Price

Ryan Price is a defenseman and enforcer whose physical role gives his teammates room to play while placing him in the path of opponents’ aggression. The glimpses of him also complicate that tough on-ice function: on a plane, he is visibly anxious and relies on a familiar paperback for comfort.

Identity and Role

Price joined Ilya Rozanov’s team at the start of the season. Though described as a gigantic defenseman, his practical position was enforcer: he was there to make sure opponents did not interfere with the more talented players. Ilya could take care of himself, but having players like Price on the team meant he did not always have to. The arrangement lets Ilya provoke opponents and get under their skin while Price is expected to absorb the physical consequences—a division of labor Ilya recognizes as advantageous to himself.

On the Plane

During a flight, Ilya notices Price gripping both armrests, eyes closed, while his knee bounces against a paperback balanced open and upside down on his thigh. Price does not respond when Ilya first calls his name, so Ilya pauses the movie, removes his headphones, and pokes Price’s arm to check whether he is all right. The sudden touch startles Price; the book tumbles to the floor, and Ilya watches it fall with dismay.

Price apologizes and identifies himself as a nervous flyer. When Ilya retrieves the book, he sees that it is Anne of Green Gables. Price says he has read it before and brings it on planes as a comfort object. The detail recasts the imposing enforcer in a moment of private vulnerability: the same man whose job is to take opponents’ punches is managing his own unease with a familiar book.

Conflict and Team Dynamics

Price’s protective role is also visible in the way other players anticipate his response. Before a game, Jean-Jacques Boiziau threatens to take Ilya out if Ilya starts trouble; Shane Hollander points out that Price would then go after Boiziau. Boiziau responds by threatening Price in turn. The exchange presents Price as a credible enforcer even when he is not the person initiating the confrontation. It does not establish that a fight follows, but it shows how his expected intervention shapes the team’s calculations around Ilya’s provocation.

Characterization and Narrative Function

Price is portrayed through a pointed contrast rather than a long personal arc. On the ice, his size and enforcer role make him a buffer for more skilled teammates; on the plane, his bouncing knee, clenched grip, and comfort-reading reveal a vulnerability he does not conceal from Ilya. These glimpses also show the costs and conveniences built into the enforcer role: Ilya benefits from Price’s protection, while Price’s own anxiety receives a brief, practical response when Ilya pauses the movie and retrieves his book.