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Brett Ritchie

International Notes: Greiss, McKegg, Ritchie

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Goaltender Thomas Greiss has come out of retirement to sign what’s being described as a “short-term deal” with Lowen Frankfurt as the team bears through injuries to both of their goaltenders. Greiss is headed to Frankfurt from St. Louis, where he’s resided since joining the Blues in 2022. He announced his retirement following the end of the 2022-23 campaign, bringing an end to his 14-year career in the NHL.

Greiss found multiple paths to notoriety throughout his career – but became most well-known for his role in the New York Islanders’ goaltending carousel from 2015 to 2020. He moved to Long Island on a two-year contract, immediately assuming the starting role ahead of Jaroslav Halak. Greiss performed well on the deal, posting 49 wins and a .918 save percentage through a combined 92 games. That was enough to earn Greiss a three-year extension following the end of his deal, though New York would bring in Robin Lehner in 2018 and Sergei Varlamov in 2019 to split starts with the aging German. Those additions ultimately pushed Greiss towards a handful of sunset years with the Detroit Red Wings and St. Louis Blues. He’d end his career with 368 games, 162 wins, and a .911 save percentage; playing with six different franchises, though only ever reaching 100 games with the Islanders. He’ll now bring that NHL experience to a reunion in Germany’s top league, having played 36 games and recorded a .925 save percentage from 2003 to 2006.

Other notes from around the hockey world:

  • Veteran NHL forward Greg McKegg has signed with BK Mlada Boleslav of the Czechia Extraliga. It’s his first trip overseas, after spending the last 11 seasons across North American pros. He’s totaled 233 NHL games across nine seasons and seven organizations. He managed 21 goals and 39 points in that span, routinely filling a fourth-line role. McKegg will be the only one on Boleslav with NHL experience, though he’s one of 42 NHL vets across the league.
  • Fellow veteran NHL forward Brett Ritchie will move close by, signing a deal with HK Nitra of Slovakia’s Tipos Extraliga, the team announced on Instagram. Ritchie played in his first European season last year, recording three points in 12 games with the KHL’s Dinamo Minsk. He’s just two years removed from NHL action, having played in 50 games and scored 13 points between the Calgary Flames and Arizona Coyotes in 2022-23. That season stands as the cap on Ritchie’s 391-game career in the NHL as he continues a trek around European hockey.

Brett Ritchie Signs In KHL

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Veteran forward Brett Ritchie is headed overseas for the first time in his professional career, signing a one-year contract with Dynamo Minsk of the KHL.

The 30-year-old winger did not receive an NHL contract this summer, instead signing a PTO with the Florida Panthers. He spent training camp and preseason in Sunrise, but failed to earn a contract from the club.

A veteran of 391 NHL games, Ritchie was the 44th overall pick of the 2011 draft by the Dallas Stars, selected out of the OHL’s Sarnia Sting.

After his OHL campaign concluded with a 76-point campaign on the Niagara IceDogs, Ritchie turned pro and had an exceptional AHL rookie season. He scored 29 goals and 59 points in 81 combined regular-season and playoff games, helping the Texas Stars win the Calder Cup.

Ritchie made his NHL debut the following season, in 2014-15, but only managed nine points in 31 games. Ritchie’s NHL breakthrough came in 2016-17, when he scored 16 goals in a full 78-game NHL season.

He had proven himself to be a capable NHL bottom-six winger, and he remained an NHL player exclusively (besides a 12-game AHL stint in 2019-20) through the 2022-23 season.

Ritchie will not be an NHLer this season, though, as rather than potentially sign an AHL deal with a pathway to an NHL contract (the pathway Joel Kiviranta successfully took with the Colorado Avalanche, for example) Ritchie has elected to play in the KHL.

He joins a Minsk team currently 14-12-4, sitting seventh in their conference standings. A look at Minsk’s scoresheet paints the picture as to why they might have gone out and signed a big-name former NHLer import player such as Ritchie. Their top scorer, AHL veteran Sam Anas, has scored just 18 points in 29 games.

They could very much use another winger with NHL experience beyond former Anaheim Duck Sam Volkov, so Ritchie fills that role. While it’s no guarantee Ritchie will be productive in the KHL, his consistent scoring success at the AHL level suggests he may be able to fill a scoring power forward’s role against KHL competition.

If he does so and posts a productive campaign in Belarus, one shouldn’t rule out the possibility Ritchie receives another chance to earn an NHL contract.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Players Still On Training Camp Tryouts

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While there have been many players who had been in training camps on tryout deals cut over the past week or so, there are quite a few whose fates have not yet been determined.  Here’s a rundown of players who are still on PTO agreements with their respective teams.

Boston Bruins

F Danton Heinen

Edmonton Oilers

F Adam Erne
F Sam Gagner

Gagner did not play in the preseason as he works his way back from hip surgery.

Florida Panthers

F Brett Ritchie

New York Islanders

F Jackson Cates

Pittsburgh Penguins

D Libor Hajek
D Mark Pysyk
F Austin Wagner

Tampa Bay Lightning

F Austin Watson

Toronto Maple Leafs

F Noah Gregor

Vegas Golden Knights

F Max Comtois

Some of these players will likely receive an NHL contract but cap-strapped teams will wait until it’s absolutely necessary to convert them to a guaranteed deal, either to optimize their LTIR pool or to try to save a day or two worth of cap space.  Meanwhile, other teams could also come calling if a waiver target doesn’t make it to them.  One way or the other, their fates will likely be decided soon.

Florida Panthers Expected To Sign Brett Ritchie To PTO

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09/14/23: According to Florida Hockey Now’s George Richards, the Florida Panthers are expected to sign veteran forward Brett Ritchie to a professional try-out.

Ritchie has become a journeyman player, appearing with four different teams over the last four years. His nine-year career started with five years with the Dallas Stars, where he accumulated 54 points and 154 penalty minutes in 241 games. But at the end of this stretch, Dallas failed to qualify then-25-year-old Ritchie, making him a free agent and leading him to sign with the Boston Bruins. After one year in Boston and one trip on waivers, history repeated itself, with Ritchie failing to receive a qualifying offer and hitting free agency again.

That’s when Ritchie signed the first PTO of his career, inking one with the Calgary Flames midway through the 2020-21 season and earning a two-way contract. And for the first time since Dallas, Ritchie was even re-signed by a team, sticking with the Flames through most of the 2022-23 season. But at the March trade deadline, Calgary swapped Ritchie and Connor Mackey for Nick Ritchie, Brett’s brother, and Troy Stecher.

Ritchie stands at a menacing 6’4″, 215lbs, and works hard, making it clear why he’s stuck in the league thus far. He’ll now try to will his way onto another NHL roster in the Florida Panthers, who lack much competition for their bottom six. It’s likely that Ritchie will be competing with Grigori Denisenko and rookie Mackie Samoskevich. Denisenko has jumped between Florida’s NHL and AHL roster, yet to successfully find his footing at the top level. Samoskevich made the transition to professional hockey after the University of Michigan’s season ended last year, recording two assists in the two regular season AHL games he played and adding four more points in seven playoff games. The NHL readiness of both players is worth discussing, which could make it easier for Ritchie to achieve another successful PTO.

Coyotes Notes: Ritchie, Imama, Injuries

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PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan reported Monday afternoon that Arizona Coyotes forward Brett Ritchie’s status for tonight’s game against the Edmonton Oilers is uncertain for a second straight night due to illness. He will be a game-time decision after missing yesterday’s shootout loss to the Colorado Avalanche.

Ritchie has scored two goals and added two assists in eight games since being acquired in a swap with the Calgary Flames at the trade deadline. The 29-year-old winger is having his best offensive season since he recorded seven goals and 14 points in 71 games with the Dallas Stars in 2017-18.

More from the Coyotes beat today:

  • With Ritchie’s availability up in the air, Bokondji Imama is back up with the Coyotes on emergency loan from the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners. Defenseman Michael Kesselring was papered back to the Roadrunners to satisfy the emergency loan requirements. With Josh Brown ready to return to the lineup, this allows the Coyotes to play 12 forwards and six defensemen tonight, no matter what. Imama is still looking for his first point of the year in five games with the Coyotes.
  • Also per Morgan, forwards Laurent Dauphin and Zack Kassian will remain out of the lineup with upper-body injuries. Kassian, who has just two goals in 51 games this season, has been absent from the lineup since March 21. Dauphin, who has no points in 16 games since being recalled from Tucson, has been out for three days.

Coyotes Notes: Ritchie, Dauphin, Imama, Smith, Farinacci

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Several updates on the Arizona Coyotes have come in today via PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan, news regarding five players. The first bit of information is that trade deadline acquisition Brett Ritchie is returning to the team’s lineup after he missed their game against the Edmonton Oilers with an upper-body injury. Ritchie got off to a hot start in the desert, scoring four points in his first three games, but he was moved off of the team’s top line and received just nine minutes of ice time in Arizona’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks, and has not registered a point since his three-point game on March 12th.

Now presumably back to full health or at least a healthier position, he’ll have the chance to re-enter coach Andre Tourigny’s lineup and put a good string of games together as the Coyotes enter the final stretch of their season. The 382-game veteran is on an expiring league-minimum contract and will be hoping that some quality play will earn him another NHL contract in a few months.

  • Coyotes forward Laurent Dauphin is injured and out on a day-to-day timeline. Though the 27-year-old is scoreless through 16 NHL games in Arizona this season, he has been a difference-maker for the Coyotes’ AHL affiliate, scoring 16 goals and 41 points in 45 games. Like Ritchie, he’s on an expiring league-minimum two-way contract.
  • Forward Bokondji Imama is being sent down to the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners, per Morgan. He replaced Smith in the lineup for the team’s game against Edmonton and skated in just under seven minutes of ice time. He’s been up and down quite a bit from the NHL and AHL recently and has five total NHL games played in 2022-23. In the AHL, he has 13 points and 96 penalty minutes in 43 games.
  • To replace Imama on their roster, Arizona is recalling forward Nathan Smith. The former Winnipeg Jets prospect played in 10 NHL games last season after signing from Minnesota State University but hasn’t gotten onto NHL ice this year. He’s scored 11 goals and 25 points for Tucson, and will now be in a position to test his mettle against NHL competition once more.
  • Harvard University was defeated by Ohio State University in the first round of the NCAA’s Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Championship, ending their season. With that loss as a backdrop, Morgan reports that it won’t be a surprise to see one of Harvard’s key players, John Farinacci, “sign quickly” with Arizona. The 22-year-old is a 2019 third-round pick who scored 19 points in 18 games this season as Harvard’s captain and would be expected to play a role in Tucson with the hope of developing into an NHL option.

Injury Notes: Merzlikins, Chatfield, Coyotes

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The Columbus Blue Jackets lost their starting goaltender after the first period of this evening’s contest with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Per a team release, Elvis Merzlikins would not play the remainder of the game due to an illness. Michael Hutchinson was forced into action with Merzlikins ruled out for the night. Merzlikins did return to the team’s bench early in the second period, which should rule out anything serious. After trading goaltender Joonas Korpisalo at the trade deadline, the Blue Jackets can’t afford to have another netminder unavailable to them.

  • The Carolina Hurricanes announced defenseman Jalen Chatfield would not return to the team’s game against the Montreal Canadiens. He suffered an upper-body injury after playing just over seven minutes of action. Chatfield has played 61 games for the Hurricanes this season, scoring five goals and 12 points. The team added some depth on the blue line at the deadline when they acquired Shayne Gostisbehere, and that extra depth could be tested if Chatfield misses any time.
  • Per a team release, Arizona Coyotes winger Liam O’Brien is out of the lineup due to illness. The 28-year-old forward has scored one goal and seven points in 38 games for the Coyotes this season. Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports added newcomer Brett Ritchie will have to wait before making his Coyotes debut as he is still dealing with visa issues after being acquired on Mar 3 from the Calgary Flames.

Calgary Flames Expected To Acquire Troy Stecher, Nick Ritchie

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The Calgary Flames are acquiring defenseman Troy Stecher and forward Nick Ritchie from the Arizona Coyotes, per Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, in exchange for Brett Ritchie and Connor Mackey.

This deal adds a player from the Coyotes’ second defensive pairing and third forward line to play likely lesser roles in head coach Darryl Sutter’s Flames lineup.

Ritchie, 27, is on an expiring $2.5MM contract and will provide useful depth to the Flames’ forward corps while also potentially taking Walker Duehr’s role on the team’s fourth line. He’s averaged over 13 minutes of ice time per game this season including over two minutes on the power play, and has scored nine goals and 21 points in 58 games this season. He’s another big, heavy forward for Sutter to work with, and should add some possible goal-scoring touch to their lineup as well as some more skill than what his brother has been able to provide the Flames.

As for Stecher, the team is acquiring a 28-year-old on an expiring $1.25MM cap hit. In terms of average ice time per game, he’s been Arizona’s number-four defenseman this season and most recently has skated on their second pairing next to former Calgary blueliner Juuso Valimaki. Stecher hasn’t scored yet this season, but has seven assists and has soaked up nearly three minutes per night on the team’s penalty kill.

With over 400 games of NHL experience, Stecher is an upgrade for the Flames’ bottom pairing over Dennis Gilbert and has the versatility to be able to fit into roles on the Flames lineup as they might pop up as the season goes on.

As for the Coyotes, the most significant element of this deal they are receiving seems to be Mackey, a 26-year-old blueliner who the team can retain beyond this season as a restricted free agent. Mackey has just 19 games of NHL experience but played exceptionally well in the AHL last season, to the tune of 36 points in 53 games.

Perhaps the Coyotes feel that with an increased role on their squad, the smooth-skating defenseman can establish himself as a legitimate NHL defenseman.

As for Ritchie, his inclusion gives the Coyotes an experienced body to fill the role his brother has left behind.

The 29-year-old is operating on an expiring league-minimum salary and has nearly 400 games of NHL experience. He’s averaging under 10 minutes per night this season with no special-teams minutes, although his role could increase in Arizona.

While it might be preferrable given the Coyotes’ current direction for the team to receive draft picks rather than these two players in return for Stecher and Ritchie, the team could legitimately believe that Mackey holds some promise in the short-to-medium term.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Snapshots: Islanders, Tanev, Guzda

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The New York Islanders have now lost six in a row, scoring just 11 goals in the process. A group that was once expected to be serious buyers at the trade deadline have nearly fallen out of the playoff race entirely, making it a much different situation as February approaches.

When discussing the team’s deadline plans (as best as he can figure, with Lou Lamoriello at the helm), Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet noted on today’s 32 Thoughts podcast that there was real interest in Jakob Chychrun at one point. Apparently, the Islanders balked at the asking price, something that Friedman understands, given their current position.

  • With Chris Tanev already ruled out through the All-Star break, the Calgary Flames have moved him to injured reserve. Brett Ritchie has been activated to fill his spot, and is expected to be in the lineup tonight when the team takes on the Seattle Kraken. Ritchie last played on New Year’s Eve, leaving the game after just six shifts.
  • The Florida Panthers will go with Alex Lyon in net again tonight, and are set to have Mack Guzda as the backup after recalling him this morning. To make room, Grigori Denisenko was returned to the minor leagues. Lyon has allowed 17 goals in four games so far, including seven on 49 shots Tuesday night.

Flames Recall Two, Place Brett Ritchie On IR

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The Flames announced (Twitter link) a trio of roster moves today in advance of their five-game road trip.  They’ve recalled wingers Jakob Pelletier and Walker Duehr from AHL Calgary and to make room on the active roster, they’ve transferred winger Brett Ritchie on injured reserve.

Pelletier is one of Calgary’s top prospects and will get his first chance at making his NHL debut.  The 21-year-old was a first-round pick (26th overall) back in 2019 and has been quite productive at both the junior and AHL level since then.  This season, Pelletier sits second on the Wranglers in scoring with 15 goals and 19 assists in 31 games.  The only player that he’s behind is Matthew Phillips but the Flames opted to sit the winger for most of the games he was up with the big club for so it’s not surprising that they’re trying Pelletier now instead.

As for Duehr, the 25-year-old has one career NHL appearance under his belt which came in November 2021.  This season at the AHL level, he’s tied for third on the Wranglers in goals with ten, just one shy of his output from a year ago in 28 fewer games.  This is only his second full professional campaign after signing a two-year entry-level deal with Calgary as a college free agent in 2021.

Meanwhile, Ritchie suffered what appeared to be a wrist injury last weekend against Vancouver and hasn’t played since then.  Technically, that means that Calgary could back-date the placement to then, effectively making him eligible to be activated as soon as Sunday’s game in Chicago.  The fact they’ve placed him on IR means he’ll be out longer than that but there is no timetable for his return.  The 29-year-old has six goals and two assists in 30 games with the Flames so far this season.

 

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