Bobby Ryan buries Ottawa Senators star Tim Stutzle.

It is no secret that Ottawa Senators forward Tim Stutzle has been earning himself something of an undesirable reputation due to his antics in the National Hockey League. Stutzle has repeatedly been called out for diving by prominent NHL personalities, including a number of furious NHL head coaches, and there is a growing perception that he is something of a soft player.

Most of the time perceptions of this nature are largely a lot of noise that makes good fodder for the fans and for the media, but that does not appear to be the case when it comes to Stutzle. In the case of the German-born former first round pick that perception may extend to his peers in the hockey community, and we were treated to a particularly brutal example of that on Sunday morning.

Former Ottawa Senator Bobby Ryan decided to kick off his Sunday by fielding questions and comments from fans on social media but when the topic of Stutzle came up things turned ugly. One fan in particular had a rather harsh assessment of the 3rd overall pick at the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, but it was Ryan's reaction that was truly stunning.

The fan, identified as @Tchuk_Norris_79 (clever) on X,  began by laying into Stutzle.

"Stützle is too soft to ever see a 2nd round in the playoff," wrote the fan. "Some players like you elevate in the playoffs, Stützle will get crushed. Sens need to start looking elsewhere."

Ryan's response left no doubt about just how bad Stutzle's reputation now is around the NHL.

"Agreed," said the former Ottawa Senator.

It's one thing to hear it from fans and media, but it's another matter entirely when the criticism is coming from a beloved former player in the city you're currently playing in.