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Nick Ritchie

Pacific Notes: Eriksson, Ritchie, Smith, Dillon

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With so many forwards now on their roster, the Vancouver Canucks coaching staff should have their hands full when training camp begins. The team now has 14 forwards under contract with two restricted free agents still to sign in Brock Boeser and Nikolay Goldobin. That’s a lot of players for just 12 spots in the lineup.

One player who should find himself highly scrutinized is Loui Eriksson, who has made it clear he wouldn’t mind a change of scenery as he has stated he isn’t a big fan of Travis Green and his coaching staff. Unfortunately, a trade might be challenging as Eriksson still has three years remaining at $6MM AAV. When Vancouver Sun’s Patrick Johnson asked general manager Jim Benning about the possibility of sending Eriksson to the Utica Comets of the AHL, Benning was slow to answer.

“I don’t have a direct answer for that right now,” he admitted.

Eriksson’s agent said he doesn’t expect his client to be waived or re-assigned to Utica. Not sure if Benning feels the same way.

  • With a large number of young wingers and recent two-way acquisitions this summer, the writing could be on the wall for winger Nick Ritchie, who still has two years remaining at a very reasonable $1.49MM. The 23-year-old hasn’t developed into the scoring power forward the team hoped for when they drafted him 10th overall in 2014 and he might be a perfect trade candidate, according to Eric Stephens of The Athletic (subscription required). Ritchie will have to fight for one of the left wing openings or he could find himself on a new team shortly.
  • Edmonton Journal’s Kurt Leavins writes that while many people are questioning the Oilers decision-making in signing veteran goaltender Mike Smith after a disappointing campaign last year in Calgary, the numbers may tell a different story. While the 37-year-old goaltender finished with less than stellar numbers: 42 games, 2.72 GAA and a .898 save percentage, he did finish strong at the end of the season. In his seven of his last 10 regular-season games, Smith finished with a .923 save percentage or higher. He also did the same in three of the five playoff games he appeared in. He could bounce back in a big way.
  • The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz (subscription required) looks at the Sharks salary cap situtation in 2020. The team should have $10.3MM in available salary cap space, but that doesn’t include an expected long-term deal for Kevin Labanc. However, the scribe notes that no matter what, the team will probably have to let defenseman Brenden Dillon go despite his value to the team’s blueline. However, if Radim Simek continues to get top-four minutes, Dillon would be only a third-pairing defenseman and wouldn’t be worth the $3.27MM he currently makes anyway, especially if he’s looking for a raise.

Snapshots: McDavid, Getzlaf, Murray, Engelland, Kubalik

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While their regular season ended and their offseason had begun, the team still saw a scary scene unfold in the second period of Saturday’s game against Calgary when Connor McDavid tried to skate past defenseman Mark Giordano, but had his feet knocked out of him as his leg slammed against the goalpost. He didn’t return.

However, the team had good news today as McDavid walked into the clubhouse in a leg brace, but without crutches and x-rays showed there was no break, although results of an MRI had not come back in. TSN’s Tom Gazzola reports that McDavid believed that his leg was broken the moment it happened. McDavid finished the season second in the league in scoring as he tallied 41 goals and 116 points this season. It looks like McDavid has avoided a serious injury.

  • The Department of Player Safety announced that they have fined Anaheim Ducks forward Ryan Getzlaf $2,500 for roughing Los Angeles Kings forward Adrian Kempe. The incident happened in the final minutes of the season finale on Saturday when Getzlaf sucker-punched Kempe against the boards. Both players received 10-minute misconduct penalties as well as Kyle Clifford and Nick Ritchie.
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have two defensemen out with injuries and their status hasn’t changed as the team gets ready for the first round of the playoffs later this week against Tampa Bay. The Columbus Dispath’s Brian Hedger writes that defenseman Ryan Murray continues to be out with an upper-body injury. He has missed 24 games with his injury. Meanwhile Adam McQuaid also sits out with an upper-body injury as his status also hasn’t improved. McQuaid has missed five games.
  • Despite heading for unrestricted free agency this summer, Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Deryk Engelland isn’t ready to retire. The 37-year-old said he’s healthy and wants to keep playing, according to Las Vegas Review-Journal’s David Schoen. “Keep playing. That’s the goal. I feel good out there,” said Engelland. “I’m not banged up or anything like that. If you talk to anyone that’s done, they tell you play as long as you can.”
  • During the end-of-the-season press conference, Chicago Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman said that he envisions the team bringing over prospect Dominik Kubalik and having him on the Blackhawks’ roster next season, according to The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus. The hope is that he will make a similar impact that Dominik Kahun did this season. The 23-year-old forward’s rights were acquired from the Los Angeles Kings in January for a fifth-round pick, but Kubalik scored 25 goals and 57 points in 50 games in the NLA this year.

Pacific Notes: Ritchie, Neal, Virtanen, Wagner

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The Department of Player Safety announced that Anaheim Ducks forward Nick Ritchie has been fined $4,121.86, the maximum-allowable fine under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, for cross-checking Montreal Canadiens’ defenseman Christian Folin.

The hit (video here) came in the first period of Anaheim’s 8-2 victory Friday over Montreal in response to an earlier hit when Folin delivered a high hit on rookie Troy Terry earlier in the game. The 23-year-old was assessed a two-minute minor for interference for the hit. Ritchie has been in trouble before, getting suspended for one game back in 2017 after punching Chicago’s Michal Rozsival.

  • Sportsnet 960’s Pat Steinberg reports that Calgary Flames forward James Neal, who has been out since Feb. 14 with a lower-body injury, has begun skating again, although Flames head coach Bill Peters said that he still has a little way to go before returning. Despite the team being in first place and having a solid season, it’s been with little contribution from Neal, who the team signed to a five-year, $28.75MM free-agent deal this summer. Neal has struggled with injuries this year and hasn’t produced, posting just five goals and 15 points in 55 games in his first year with Calgary.
  • The Vancouver Canucks announced that forward Jake Virtanen will return tonight against Vegas. The 22-year-old has been out with a fractured rib since Feb. 13. The 2014 sixth-overall pick has improved on his rookie campaign with 12 goals and 22 points in 58 games, while averaging a career-high 14:49 of ATOI. He won’t be eased into the lineup either as he is expected to join the Canucks’ top line right away as well as the team’s second-line power play unit.
  • Fox Sports’ Jon Rosen writes the Los Angeles Kings forward Austin Wagner, who has been out for a week with a lower-body injury, may not be back soon. The 21-year-old rookie skated Friday in a track suit, but isn’t just ready to return to the lineup. “He’s probably more than a week out, I think,” head coach Willie Desjardins said. “Maybe close to a week, but when you’re not skating (in gear) right now, you’ve got to be skating to be close, and he’s not that close.” Wagner has nine goals and 16 points in 49 games.

 

Pacific Notes: Kovalchuk, Hoffman, Ritchie, Karlsson

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The Los Angeles Kings may have moved one of their biggest trade chips several weeks ago in Jake Muzzin, but don’t expect the Kings to stand pat as the deadline nears. Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times writes that general manager Rob Blake has spoken to veteran winger Ilya Kovalchuk, who is seriously considering waiving his no-move clause to go to a contender.

However, Kovalchuk, who signed a three-year, $18.75MM deal last summer, might not fetch a big return for the Kings. A team has to be willing to take on two more years of the 35 year-old’s contract which carries an expensive $6.25MM AAV with it. He has scored 13 goals and has 28 points in 50 games so far this year, while dealing with injuries, but few teams would be willing to give up more than a lower-level prospect to take on Kovalchuk.

Elliott also points out that Los Angeles are far more likely to hold onto defenseman Alec Martinez, who might not bring back the return they were hoping for, while few teams have shown much interest in Jeff Carter so far.

  • Sportsnet’s Marc Savard tweets that the Florida Panthers are getting a lot of calls on forward Mike Hoffman and the Arizona Coyotes, who are looking to make a late playoff run, are pushing hard to acquire the speedy winger. The 29-year-old is having a nice season as he has 26 goals and 51 points, which is in line for a career year. Hoffman could bring back a signficant return as he has another year on his deal at $5.19MM and would be another significant addition of scorers for the Coyotes.
  • The Anaheim Ducks may make a quiet move or two, but after agreeing to a five-year extension with Jakob Silfverberg, the team lacks any significant trade assets to move at the trade deadline. However, The Athletic’s Eric Stephens (subscription required) writes that with the play of Max Jones and the Max Comtois (currently in juniors), winger Nick Ritchie might be expendable now and be potentially available. A holdout at the beginning of the season, Ritchie eventually signed an inexpensive three-year deal, totaling just $4.6MM, which some teams might covet. Ritchie, of course, hasn’t proven he can be anything more than a 15-goal scorer.
  • Kevin Kurz of The Athletic reports that Erik Karlsson, who left in the second period of Saturday’s loss to Columbus, tweaked his groin injury in the game. No word on the severity of the injury, however. Karlsson already missed a month between January and February with that lower-body injury, and more missed time would be a setback for a Sharks’ team trying to work their way to the top of the Pacific Division. Head coach Peter DeBoer said he is concerned. “Absolutely,” said DeBoer. “I thought we were as conservative and cautious as you can be but muscle injuries you don’t know. Sometimes you get in positions or over-extend it. We’ll see where it’s at tomorrow.”

Pacific Notes: Ritchie, Burns, Stastny, Gaudette

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While most of the hockey world had been focused on the contract holdout of William Nylander all season, there were much fewer eyes on the holdout of restricted free agent Nick Ritchie. The 22-year-old wasn’t a big name. After all, the most points he had ever posted was 14 goals and 28 points in 2016-17. Yet hold out he did before eventually signing a three-year bridge deal worth a total of $4.6MM. A small footnote in the restricted free-agent process.

However, Ritchie is starting to get hot as he has scored all four of his goals in the last four games, including a two-goal performance Wednesday against Florida as well as eight points in the last seven games. The Athletic’s Eric Stephens (subscription required) writes that Ritchie is starting to develop into the player they drafted in the first round (10th overall) in 2014.

Ritchie admits that he has made minor adjustments such as adjusting his footwork and how he handles the puck, but after initially playing in the top six and then getting demoted to the fourth line was a game-changer. The winger says that he worked harder than ever to work his way back to the top-six. It’s working as Anaheim has won four in a row and six of their last seven.

  • Kevin Kurz of The Athletic (subscription required) writes one of the many issues that the San Jose Sharks are struggling with is the play of veteran defenseman Brent Burns. The 33-year-old blueliner is having a good season statistically with 27 points in 27 games, but hasn’t scored a goal in more than a month and holds a minus-3 plus-minus rating. His general play has been disappointing and that really stood out in the team’s 6-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators Saturday.
  • The Vegas Golden Knights got good news as injured center Paul Stastny was seen skating during the team’s morning skate, according to SinBin Vegas. Stastny has been skating for several days for about 20-30 minutes, which is the next step in his recovery from a lower-body injury that has held him for most of the season. The 32-year-old has appeared in just three games for the Golden Knights.
  • When the Vancouver Canucks placed Brendan Leipsic on waivers earlier today, many were surprised they didn’t just assign Adam Gaudette to Utica of the AHL instead of potentially losing Leipsic. However, general manager Jim Benning explained that the team prefers to see Gaudette continue his development with the Canucks. “We want to keep him around because he plays centre and because every game he’s showing some good things and gaining more confidence,” Benning said via Postmedia’s Ben Kuzma. “We feel he’s helping us.”

Pacific Notes: Ducks, Quick, Chychrun

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The Anaheim Ducks have dealt with more than their fair share of injuries over the past year or so. The team is still far from healthy, but finally full strength is within sight, particularly among their battered forward corps. The likes of Ryan Getzlaf, Ryan Kesler, and Patrick Eaves are healthy, and recent injuries like those to Jakob Silfverberg and Kalle Kossila have also run their course. Nick Ritchie and Ondrej Kase are on the mend and expected to be active sooner rather than later. Corey Perry (knee) and Carter Rowney (upper body) are still far from a return, but in terms of players the Ducks reasonably expected to be healthy, things are looking up. However, a full set of healthy forwards also brings with it some tough choices. While Anaheim has the flexibility to send the likes of Ben Street, Pontus Aberg, Sam Carrick, and Kiefer Sherwood – currently on the roster – to the AHL, they have to be concerned about whether there is enough ice time to go around for the more permanent pieces. Already, the team sent promising rookie Isac Lundestrom to the AHL today to bring up Kossila and fellow top prospects Sam Steel and Troy Terry are already down with the San Diego Gulls. As the team grows healthier, it it possible that they could explore returning rookie Max Comtois to his junior club, the QMJHL’s Drummondville Voltiguers. While Comtois has already played in ten games this season and tolled the first year of his contract, he cannot be sent to the AHL and could be better served getting guaranteed top-six minutes at the junior level than fighting for ice time with the Ducks. Comtois is currently sidelined, buying Anaheim some time on the decision, but with conceivably an upwards of 20 forwards expecting to see action in the NHL this season, eliminating even just one option by sending Comtois back to junior would help the Ducks with their impending roster crunch.

  • The Los Angeles Kings took another hit in net today with the news that backup goaltender Jack Campbell will be out four to six weeks with a torn meniscus. The team is already without starter Jonathan Quick due to the same injury and are left to lean on veteran Peter Budaj and rookie Cal Petersen for the time being. Fortunately, GM Rob Blake did assure the media later on that Quick remains on track to return sometime around the end of the month, per beat writer Curtis Zupke. Quick underwent surgery on October 31st and was given a timeline of roughly a month to return. So long as his rehab continues to progress positively, Quick could potentially be ready to return by the Kings’ November 30th clash with the division rival Calgary Flames. Yet, even in that best-case scenario, Budaj and Petersen will still be on the hook for the nine games between now and then.
  • In more immediate injury news, The Athletic’s Craig Morgan reports that Arizona Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun is “probable” to make his season debut on Tuesday night against the Detroit Red Wings. Chychrun has been sidelined since late last season with a torn ACL in his right knee. The first-round pick was establishing himself as a reliable top-four defender prior to his injury and his return should come with an automatic starting spot, likely bumping Ilya Lyubushkin down to the minors and Jordan Oesterle from his starting slot.

Western Notes: Kase, Sikura, Schmidt, Gurianov

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Good news for the Anaheim Ducks as the team learned today that barring a setback, forward Ondrej Kase is expected to make his debut on Monday, according to Eric Stephens of The Athletic. Kase has been reportedly skating on a line with teammates Ryan Kesler and Nick Ritchie.

Many people felt that Kase might take his game to a new level this year after posting a 20-goal season a year ago. The 23-year-old, however, suffered a concussion during the team’s final preseason game and has been out since then. The former seventh-round pick has done a nice job working his way through the Ducks’ system and earning a full-time role with the team. He was rewarded over the summer with a three-year, $7.8MM ($2.6MM AAV) bridge deal. Hopefully, he can step in right away and help out a struggling team that has gone 2-7-2 in their last 11 games.

  • NBC Sports’ Charlie Roumeliotis suggests that new Chicago Blackhawks head coach Jeremy Colliton will be keeping a close eye on his former team, the Rockford Ice Hogs as its very likely he will want to continue the team’s youth movement by bringing up several of their top players from there at some point during the season. At the top of the list would likely be winger Dylan Sikura, who is faring well there in his rookie campaign after four years at Northeastern University. Sikura has five goals and 12 points in 15 AHL games. “First of all, I care about the team, I care about the players, I care about the people who are down there,” said Colliton. “So it’s only natural for me to keep my fingers on the pulse. But we want to build as much depth as we can within this group and that includes the guys in Rockford. Because there are going to be injuries, and we want competition, that it’s not a given you’re going to play or not a given you’re going to have a certain role and that’s healthy for everyone and it’s going to push everyone to be better.”
  • The Vegas Golden Knights should get a boost in one week when suspended defenseman Nate Schmidt becomes eligible to return. The speedy defenseman has been missed by his team as they struggle through the early part of the schedule. SinBin Vegas’ Steve Carp writes that Schmidt should immediately return to the role as the team’s leader in minutes played and shutdown defender as well inject both special teams’ units with his talents. However, the team doesn’t have the luxury of easing him in as other teams might considering the team’s inability to string together wins.
  • Despite scoring his first NHL goal of his career, Dallas Stars prospect Denis Gurianov was returned back to the AHL Sunday and while the 21-year-old impressed, The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro reports that the team made the move for cap reasons. Regardless, the team believes that while Gurianov has come a long way since last season when he was scratched during multiple games in the AHL playoffs, he still hasn’t done enough to force his way into a permanent role with Dallas.

Nick Ritchie Signs With Anaheim Ducks

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The wait is over for one restricted free agent, as Nick Ritchie has signed a three-year contract with the Anaheim Ducks. Ritchie missed the first few games of the season in his negotiation, but will now be allowed to rejoin the team and suit up as soon as possible. The contract carries an average annual value of $1.533MM, substantially lower than the Josh Anderson contract that was reported as a comparable. This deal leaves just William Nylander unsigned among this year’s crop of RFAs. The full breakdown is as follows, according to Eric Stephens of The Athletic:

  • 2018-19: $1.2MM (prorated)
  • 2019-20: $1.4MM
  • 2020-21: $2.0MM

Because the deal was signed during the season, the cap hit will not be the same from year to year. Though the deal carries a $1.533MM AAV, Ritchie will cause a $1.63MM cap hit this season, and $1.50MM cap hit in year’s 2019-20 and 2020-21. CapFriendly has the exact breakdown on how the money will be divided, given the 171 days remaining in the season.

Ritchie, 22, still has big shoes to fill as the 10th overall pick from the 2014 draft. Other players selected around him including Nylander, Nikolaj Ehlers and Dylan Larkin have already established themselves as star players in the league, while Ritchie still hasn’t quite become the top power forward many believed he could be. Scoring just 55 points combined across the last two seasons, Ritchie does flash that potential still at times but doesn’t bring a consistent amount of offensive skill. In Anaheim there is more than enough opportunity for him to take over as one of their lead options on the wing, but he’ll have to take another step forward this season in order to seize that chance.

A three-year deal will give Ritchie some security, but it also provides the Ducks with a chance at some inexpensive production. Since they’re not buying out any unrestricted free agent years the cap hit is extremely low, and should the young power forward turn into a perennial 20-goal player like many suspect they would have a bargain on their hands. Even if he only fills the bottom-six role that he’s held previously the contract is by no means expensive, and gives the Ducks a chance to retain a player like Jakob Silfverberg next summer.

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet said during the first intermission of the Boston-Calgary game that Ritchie’s camp would have liked something shorter than three years, but eventually felt he had little leverage over the team. A shorter deal would have given him a chance to earn a substantial raise with a breakout, but the Ducks needed some cost certainty if they were going to commit to Ritchie.

The young forward is already in Anaheim and will likely get inserted into the lineup before long, rejoining teammates during a season in which Anaheim has already suffered some tough injury luck. Hopefully Ritchie can start turning things around, and give the team the boost needed to fight their way into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Ducks, Nick Ritchie Making Progress In Contract Talks

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After a lengthy impasse, it appears that progress is being made in contract talks between the Ducks and RFA winger Nick Ritchie.  In an appearance on TSN’s Insider Trading, TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports (video link) that there is now some momentum in discussions and that there’s a hope that an agreement can be reached by the end of the week.

Ritchie’s preference has reportedly been to work out a one-year deal and try his hand at restricted free agency next summer.  That would give him the chance to give himself some better negotiating leverage with a strong showing this season while he would also have salary arbitration rights which would also help his cause.

Meanwhile, Anaheim has preferred to go with more of a typical bridge contract and have been looking to get a three-year agreement done.  That would give them some more cost certainty moving forward while also keeping Ritchie in restricted free agency when it comes to his next contract.  It appears that the Ducks will be getting their way here as McKenzie reports that the two sides are indeed working on a three-year agreement.

Ritchie was Anaheim’s first-round pick (tenth overall) back in 2014 and was viewed as a top-six power forward of the future.  He made an impact fairly quickly, getting into 33 games in his rookie season in 2015-16 but his offensive game hasn’t progressed quite as they had anticipated.  Last year, he saw his goal and point totals dip (from 14 and 28 to 10 and 27, respectively) while he didn’t play too big of a role in their first-round exit at the hands of San Jose.

While it doesn’t sound like much progress is being made in the other RFA contract impasse (between Toronto and winger William Nylander), it looks like Ritchie’s case is soon coming to a resolution.

Corey Perry Undergoes Knee Surgery, Out Five Months

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The Anaheim Ducks issued some bad news today, with GM Bob Murray revealing that star forward Corey Perry has suffered a major knee injury. Perry reportedly damaged the meniscus and MCL in his right knee during warm-ups ahead of the Ducks’ last preseason game. The team diagnosed the injury and Perry underwent surgery today. The expected recovery time is upwards of 20 weeks, close to five months. Murray said that they hope to have Perry back before the NHL Trade Deadline at the end of February.

This is a major blow for the Ducks, who have had terrible luck with injuries lately. The team is already dealing with the recoveries of Ryan Kesler and Patrick Eaves and now another top-six forward has been lost. Although Perry struggled last season by his standards with just 17 goals and 49 points, he was still Anaheim’s third-highest scorer and trailed only Rickard Rakell and Jakob Silfverberg in total ice time among forwards. The Ducks were hoping to get a bounce back season from Perry with Ryan Getzlaf, Kesler, and Eaves closer to full health, but now lose perhaps their most dangerous scorer. A Hart Trophy and Richard Trophy winner, Perry is one of the league’s best power forwards when healthy. However, his skating has become a concern as he’s aged and a major knee injury will not help get him back up to speed. Even after that, the 33-year-old may not be the same player he once was following this latest injury.

For all intents and purposes, the Ducks cannot rely on Perry at all this season. Even if he is able to make it back before the end of the year, it will take time to get him back to full strength. The top-six of Getzlaf, Rakell, Silfverberg and – if healthy – Kesler and Eaves will have to be at their best, while the likes of Ondrej Kase and Troy Terry will have to step up. This predicament could also heat up negotiations with Anaheim’s other power forward, unsigned RFA Nick Ritchie, or could also ramp up expected interest by the Ducks in acquiring a winger, perhaps even making an offer on another unsigned RFA, William Nylander. A lot could change for the Ducks this season as they work to replace on of the best players in franchise history.

 

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