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Nick Ritchie

Nick Ritchie Signs In Slovakia

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Former NHL winger Nick Ritchie has found a place to play for 2024-25. Slovakia’s HC Nove Zamky announced on Facebook that he’d inked a one-year deal.

Ritchie, 28, last played in the NHL with the Coyotes and Flames in the 2022-23 season. He began the year in Arizona and was a decent depth scoring option, scoring nine goals and 12 assists for 21 points in 58 games. At the trade deadline, he was dealt to the Flames for his brother, Brett Ritchie, and finished the year with five points in 16 games for Calgary.

He wasn’t re-signed upon reaching unrestricted free agency. Ritchie had to settle for a professional tryout, inking a PTO to attend the Blues’ training camp in 2023 but was released and wasn’t offered a contract. That signaled the likely end of Ritchie’s NHL career unless he could dominate on an AHL contract or overseas.

The 2014 10th overall pick attempted to do the latter, signing with Finland’s Kärpät. It didn’t go to plan, though. He scored just once and posted a whopping 70 PIMs and a -7 rating in 10 games. They mutually terminated his contract, and he finished the year in Germany with the Iserlohn Roosters, where things didn’t go much better with two points and a -4 rating in eight appearances.

Unsigned for this year up to this point, Ritchie will now look to ply his trade in a slightly less competitive European professional circuit in Slovakia. He joins Nove Zamky’s roster as the only player with NHL experience besides defenseman Shawn Lalonde, who appeared in one game with the Blackhawks in the 2012-13 season.

Barring a significant resurgence overseas, Ritchie’s NHL stats will likely remain where they are until he retires. The 6’3″ left-winger made 481 appearances for the Ducks, Coyotes, Bruins, Maple Leafs, and Flames across eight seasons, scoring 84 goals and adding 102 assists for 186 points.

Nick Ritchie Signs In Finland

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Earlier this month, Brett Ritchie decided to head overseas after failing to secure an NHL contract, signing with Dinamo Minsk of the KHL.  Now, his brother has also decided to cross the pond as Karpat of the SM-liiga in Finland announced that they’ve inked Nick Ritchie to a one-year contract.

The 27-year-old was the tenth overall selection back in 2014 but while he showed flashes of some upside, he wasn’t able to lock down a regular spot in the top six.  Over the past few seasons, he has bounced around in depth roles, playing for four teams in the last three years.

Last season, Ritchie spent time with both Arizona and Calgary, notably being traded for his brother at the trade deadline.  Between the two teams, he collected 13 goals and 13 assists in 74 games along with 218 hits.  Despite that, he failed to secure a guaranteed contract over the summer and eventually settled for a PTO with St. Louis.  He didn’t fare particularly well with them, picking up an assist and 17 penalty minutes in three preseason contests, leading to his release.

Now that a contract elsewhere in North America has failed to materialize, Ritchie heads overseas.  A strong showing over the final few months with Karpat could very well get him back on the NHL radar for next season on a minimum-salary contract.  However, if Ritchie struggles, this could be the beginning of an extended stint overseas which is hardly the outcome many expected after being such a high draft pick a decade ago.

St. Louis Blues Sign Nick Ritchie To PTO

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The other Ritchie brother has signed a PTO of his own. Relatively shortly after Brett Ritchie reportedly signed a PTO with the Florida Panthers, his brother Nick Ritchie has had a PTO agreement announced with the St. Louis Blues.

This is actually the second consecutive time the Ritchie brothers have seen their names appear next to each other on the transactions wire. Earlier this year, the brothers were traded for each other, with Nick and defenseman Troy Stecher headed to the Calgary Flames in exchange for Brett and Connor Mackey, who went to the Arizona Coyotes.

Ritchie isn’t coming off of a great season, which could be why he’s had to settle for a PTO rather than a full contract. He scored a total of 13 goals and 26 points last season, just three points more than he scored in 2021-22 despite playing in 17 additional contests. The six-foot-three, 236-pound former top prospect has scored at around the same rate (goals in the early teens, points in the mid-twenties) for much of his NHL career.

It was an intriguing combination of size and scoring ability that made Ritchie such a highly-touted prospect and is what got him selected 10th overall by the Anaheim Ducks at the 2014 draft. He hasn’t been able to translate his quality scoring numbers in both junior hockey and his brief stay in the AHL to the NHL, though.

The lack of time and space afforded in the NHL has been a particular issue for Ritchie, who lacks the sort of separation speed, deceptive puck skills, or overwhelming puck protection talents to create time and space for himself. As a result, he’s settled into more of a bottom-six role while offering a little bit more offensive touch than the average fourth-liner.

Arriving in St. Louis for camp, Ritchie does have something of a shot to make their NHL roster and earn a full contract. He’s competing with players such as Oskar Sundqvist, Samuel Blais, Mackenzie MacEachern, Alexey Toropchenko, Nathan Walker, and Nikita Alexandrov for a depth role on head coach Craig Berube’s roster.

With a strong camp and preseason, he could end up having a longer stay in St. Louis. But without the guarantee of a full contract to play somewhere this season, Ritchie has an extremely important month ahead of him.

Free Agent Profile: Nick Ritchie

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There is a reason that power forwards often receive plenty of opportunities.  Players with size, skill, and physicality are hard to come by and if you can get one that can become a key contributor, you’ll have a core piece pretty quickly.  Typically, if you have a chance to get one, it’s worth the chance even if it hasn’t worked out with multiple organizations in the past.

This belief has played a big role in free agent winger Nick Ritchie’s career.  It helped make him the tenth overall pick back in 2014 by Anaheim.  It played a role in Boston trading for him in 2020.  It played a role in Toronto giving Ritchie a 25% raise on what his qualifying offer would have been after the Bruins non-tendered him.  Some player types are ones that teams are more willing to take a flyer on and Ritchie is one of those.

That makes it a little interesting that the 27-year-old remains unsigned as we’ve reached the four-week mark of free agency.  While his game-to-game performances can be inconsistent, he’s a safe bet to reach the double-digit mark for goals and assists (as long as he stays healthy) while he’s averaging over 2.8 hits per game over the last two seasons.  He has only surpassed 30 points once and his benchmark for goals is 15 so the ceiling is fairly low but the floor is still decent.  Generally speaking, those players have some value despite Ritchie having a career profile that has been a bit underwhelming relative to his draft stock.

Sure, he might not be the prototypical fourth line grinder despite what a passing glance at the numbers might suggest but Ritchie nevertheless remains one of the more intriguing forwards still available on the open market.

Stats

2022-23: 74 GP, 13-13-26, -21 rating, 53 PIMS, 120 shots, 218 hits, 47.1% CF, 13:33 ATOI
Career: 481 GP, 84-102-186, -29 rating, 483 PIMS, 834 shots, 1,259 hits, 50.3% CF, 13:38 ATOI

Potential Suitors

There are two types of teams that stand out as possible fits for Ritchie.  The first is a rebuilding team that wants to add a bit of grit to their bottom six and perhaps have a late-season trade asset on their hands.  The other is a playoff-bound squad that would rather get a full season out of Ritchie over flipping a draft pick or prospect to get him as a rental at the deadline.

In the East, Detroit still has ample cap space to work with and they have made several changes up front already.  If they want some of their prospects to have more development time in Grand Rapids, Ritchie could fit on their fourth line.  Buffalo has a short-term opening with Jack Quinn set to miss the first couple of months at least and GM Kevyn Adams’ moves in recent months have been made with an eye on making the team bigger and more physical.  Philadelphia added some grit already this summer in Garnet Hathaway and could look to bring in Ritchie as a younger, cheaper version while also allowing for a prospect to spend a bit more time in the minors.

Out West, Edmonton will be looking for some upgraded depth on the fourth line but Ritchie would only fit if he’s open to signing for the league minimum as the Oilers don’t project to have much, if any, cap space at their disposal once they re-sign their restricted free agents.  San Jose fits from the standpoint of being a fit for Ritchie to play a bigger role than perhaps just a fourth line one which could give him a bit of value closer to the deadline when playoff teams are looking to add some grit.  Colorado has reshaped its bottom six group this summer after it struggled last season but Ritchie would be a further upgrade while they still have some LTIR room from Gabriel Landeskog at their disposal.

Projected Contract

If Ritchie is looking to land with a playoff-caliber team, most of those are limited to contracts that are basically at or around the league minimum.  But if he’s open to being in a similar situation as he was last season with Arizona, there are a few teams out there that could give him a deal in the $1MM range with an eye on flipping him (perhaps with retention) at the deadline.  It’s a matter of when, not if, Ritchie signs somewhere but regardless of where he goes, he’ll be facing a significant pay cut.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. 

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

Nick Ritchie Suspended One Game For Slashing

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The NHL Department of Player Safety announced Saturday night that they suspended Arizona Coyotes forward Nick Ritchie for one game for slashing Anaheim Ducks defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk during last night’s game.

The incident occurred in the waning seconds of the first period, with the Ducks already commanding a 3-0 lead in the contest. Ritchie, who had pulled away from Shattenkirk after a clean check into the boards, raised his stick and, in the eyes of Player Safety, purposefully whacked the side of Shattenkirk’s helmet/face with his stick.

NHL DoPS’ rationale for the decision is as follows:

It is important to note that this is not a reckless or careless use of the stick, rather, this is a controlled and purposeful slash directed toward the head of an opponent that hits its intended target. And while the slash was delivered without substantial force, it is only because of the lack of force that this play is not met with more severe discipline. 

Additionally, Ritchie has already been disciplined by DoPS four separate times during his seven-year, 400-game career, including one suspension and three fines.

Despite a tough start to 2021-22 after signing this offseason with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ritchie has eight goals and two assists for 10 points in 17 games since donning a Coyotes uniform for the first time. He’s one of their better offensive contributors at the moment, leaving a hole in the lineup, albeit just for one game.

Nick Ritchie To Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety

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Something from Friday’s game involving Arizona and Anaheim has caught the eye of the Department of Player Safety although it doesn’t involve the late-game incident that saw Jay Beagle ejected for his actions.  Instead, the department announced that Coyotes winger Nick Ritchie will have a hearing today for a slash on Ducks defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk.

The incident occurred at the end of the first period and no penalty was assessed on that particular play although Ritchie received a roughing minor for an incident with Dominik Simon at the end of the period.

Ritchie has one previous suspension from 2017 for roughing while he has been fined on three other occasions by the league.  Arizona is next in action on Sunday in Chicago so a ruling will need to be made by then.

Toronto Maple Leafs Acquire Ilya Lyubushkin, Ryan Dzingel

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have added a pair of players tonight while moving out one frustrated winger. Ilya Lyubushkin and Ryan Dzingel are on their way to Toronto from the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for Nick Ritchie and a conditional draft pick. The Coyotes can select whether to receive Toronto’s third-round pick in 2023 or second-round pick in 2025. No salary is retained in the deal from either side.

Lyubushkin was referenced at the intermission of tonight’s Maple Leafs game by Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, and now just after the loss to the St. Louis Blues, Toronto has made their move. The big defenseman would bring something that the team doesn’t have much of, size and physicality on the back end. Now 27, Lyubushkin has racked up nearly 500 hits in a 180-game career, including 94 already this season. That number would easily lead the Maple Leafs, who currently have Jake Muzzin on top of that list with 81. It’s beside Muzzin that Lyubushkin could even potentially play, giving the team some extra length in something of a shutdown pair. Toronto has been looking to add depth on the right side for some time, as Justin Holl has taken a step backward this year and Timothy Liljegren is still very early in his career.

In fact, this addition could spell trouble for Holl, who played the fewest minutes of any Toronto defenseman tonight and has struggled to fill the top-four role he had with Muzzin in years past. By bringing in another penalty-killing defenseman, it’s unclear what his role will be, though there will have to be a roster spot of some sort by the Maple Leafs tomorrow to create enough cap space. When the team recently acquired Adam Brooks off waivers it was Liljegren who went down for the day.

There is also the addition of Dzingel, however, who adds another forward to the mix for Toronto. A 26-goal scorer in 2018-19, he has just four goals and seven points in 26 games this season for the Coyotes playing in a bottom-six role. Even those four goals are more than Ritchie, who had just two in 33 games for the Maple Leafs despite starting the season with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. The 26-year-old Ritchie had played his way right off the Toronto roster, recently having cleared waivers and been assigned to the minor leagues. From a Maple Leafs perspective, getting out from under Ritchie’s two-year deal may have been the most important part of the deal. He was set to earn $2.5MM against the cap again next year, something that a team working in the margins of the salary cap cannot afford if he’s not contributing.

Notably on Dzingel, if he fails to contribute anything, the Maple Leafs could bury his entire $1.1MM salary in the minor leagues. He would need to clear waivers to do it but that allows the team to not be stuck with any dead money if he isn’t a good fit. Lyubushkin meanwhile makes just $1.35MM against the cap, a reasonable number for a defenseman if he’s playing regularly and less than both Holl ($2MM) and Travis Dermott ($1.5MM) who was scratched again tonight.

As a member of the Coyotes, Ritchie certainly isn’t destined for the minor leagues. General manager Bill Armstrong explained that he was “excited” to add Ritchie to the roster, noting that he can give the team some more size and toughness. He also is a player signed for next season, something you can’t say about many other Coyotes. In fact, only Clayton Keller, Nick Schmaltz, Andrew Ladd, Jakob Chychrun, Conor Timmins, and Shayne Gostisbehere are on one-way contracts through next season, and several of them may find their way to other teams by the trade deadline. Ritchie, who did score 15 goals in 56 games for the Boston Bruins last season, could find his way to top-six minutes once again in the rebuilding Coyotes lineup.

For them, the big thing is adding another draft pick for expiring contracts. The Coyotes are hoarding selections in their rebuild and will be bringing a huge number of prospects into the system over the next few years.

East Notes: Chiarot, Lyubushkin, Poulin

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There’s a gigantic Saturday night rumors dump, courtesy of Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek on Sportsnet’s Hockey Night in Canada. It starts with maybe the most-discussed name on the trade bait list in recent days in Montreal Canadiens defender Ben Chiarot. Talks are reportedly heating up, with Friedman singling the St. Louis Blues on the program as a team interested in Chiarot’s services. It’s entirely likely that Chiarot is another name gone before the deadline, as the Habs certainly don’t seem to be afraid to get out ahead of the action. Chiarot would give the Blues three options with considerable NHL experience at left defense, as Niko Mikkola, Jake Walman, and the injured Scott Perunovich have competed for ice time there this season as well. But none of them have the games played and playoff experience at the NHL level that Chiarot has.

More notes from the Eastern Conference today:

  • The Arizona Coyotes are holding Ilya Lyubushkin out of the lineup as a healthy scratch, and Friedman names the Toronto Maple Leafs as one of the top teams interested in the Russian defender’s services. With Nick Ritchie falling out of favor in Toronto, and Arizona’s willingness to take on buried contracts, the fit seems logical as Friedman suggests. Lyubushkin would be a spectacular depth add for Toronto’s right side defensively, who, aside from T.J. Brodie, has faced inconsistency this season.
  • Jeff Marek reports that prior to the commencement of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, the Montreal Canadiens reached out to the representatives of Canadian women’s forward Marie-Philip Poulin about what her career plans were after the games, suggesting Montreal had an interest in having Poulin within the organization. While no official job offer was ever made, all indications point to Poulin wanting to continue her on-ice career. The 30-year-old forward still has multiple opportunities to represent Canada on the international stage.

Maple Leafs Working On Nick Ritchie Trade

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While there hasn’t been a formal trade request, the Maple Leafs are working on trying to find a new home for Nick Ritchie, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported in the latest 32 Thoughts segment (video link).  While nothing is imminent, he notes that there has been some traction on trying to find a taker for the winger.

Ritchie was non-tendered by Boston last summer and quickly signed a two-year, $5MM deal with Toronto.  It’s a move that hasn’t panned out well as the 26-year-old has just two goals and seven assists in 33 games which resulted in him clearing waivers last month.  Once the taxi squads were dissolved following the All-Star break, he was sent to Toronto of the AHL although he has yet to suit up with the Marlies.

With a $2.5MM AAV for next season as well, the Maple Leafs will almost certainly have to either retain money or take a contract back since teams passed up on taking him for free recently.  A complicating factor will be next year’s buyout cost.  Because Toronto back-loaded the contract, the cost of a buyout would only be $300K next season (although it jumps to $1.1MM for 2023-24).  Friedman notes that Toronto would be hesitant to retain more than $300K in a trade as a result.

The Maple Leafs have more than $74MM in commitments for next season to just 14 players, per CapFriendly, a figure that includes Ritchie’s $1.375MM revised cap hit when he’s in the minors.  The salary cap is only going to go up to $82.5MM at most and even that may be optimistic so that doesn’t leave a lot of wiggle room for them to round out their roster, especially with goaltender Jack Campbell among the players eligible for unrestricted free agency this summer.  As a result, finding a way to free up any sort of extra cap room would go a long way.  Ritchie won’t carry much trade value but if they can find a way to save even a little bit of cap space, it’s an option that GM Kyle Dubas will need to seriously consider.

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