Maple Leafs sign Nick Ritchie to toughen roster vie for top-six role
Author of the article:
Lance HornbyPublishing date:
Jul 31, 2021 • 24 minutes ago • 4 minute read • 14 Comments
Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning lands on top of Nick Ritchie of the Boston at Scotiabank Arena on August 5, 2020 in Toronto. Photo by Andre Ringuette /Getty Images Article content Maybe Nick Ritchie and this week’s new cap-hit numbers combination finally opens the sticky door that has denied the Maple Leafs at playoff time.
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Article contentOr maybe general manager Kyle Dubas just keeps spinning the dial and runs out of time.
But for now, It’s fingers crossed as he swaps out Hyman, Thornton, Foligno, Galchenyuk. Bogosian and Andersen for the likes of Ritchie, David Kampf, Ondrej Kase, Michael Bunting, Kurtis Gabriel and Petr Mrazek.
Dubas’ Core Four players aren’t moving, so Ritchie and the rest of the incoming group will have to prove themselves as the better support options. Ritchie’s arrival on Saturday morning is perhaps the most notable change, a big-bodied left winger who can take some of Zach Hyman’s role as bulldozer for Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner.
The former Boston Bruin signed for two years with an AAV of $2.5 million US and there’s no denying he brings a 6-foot-2, 230-pound snarl. It’s a trait a few of the other Leafs newbies have as well, but that was supposed to have been addressed last year with Joe Thornton, Wayne Simmonds and others. It wasn’t enough as the Leafs exited the playoffs early for the fifth straight time, up 3-1 to Montreal.
Ritchie, meanwhile, played 19 post-season games in two years for Boston, immediately qualifying for Leafs seniority in that category.
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Article content“This has been a great team for a few years now, they’re right there (but) not got the reward of winning a series,†Ritchie said in his first session with local media on Saturday. “Sometimes in hockey, that’s the way it goes. You have to lose a few times before you get over that hump. It’s at that point where the team is ready to take that next step. I truly believe in the team and hopefully, I can help the rest of them get over that.â€
The Leafs interest in 25-year-old Ritchie goes back seven years. At the 2014 draft, with the eighth pick, the Leafs had Orangeville-born Ritchie on their list along with William Nylander and likely Nik Ehlers, Dylan Larkin, David Pastrnak and Kasperi Kapanen among others. They took Nylander, Ehlers went to the Winnipeg Jets ninth and Ritchie to Anaheim at No. 10.
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Article contentTraded to the Bs for Danton Heinen two years ago, Ritchie didn’t do enough for Boston to qualify him. Unexpectedly on the market, his deal with Dubas came together quickly.
“I got to talk to some other teams, but definitely the lure of Toronto, how good of a team they have and being from here was part of the decision. It’s a dream to play for a hometown team.
“I chose what I thought was the best team and best fit at this stage of my career. You want to play with good players and there’s lots on the Leafs. I’ll have a good summer (training) and see where the chips fall (with a regular line).â€
Had Dubas not committed more than $40 million a year in cap space to Matthews, Marner, Nylander and John Tavares, he might’ve had the capital to sign someone higher-rated than Ritchie. But that’s where the latter aims to show his value, either riding shotgun for the two all-stars or playing somewhere in the top six. His salary and that of forward Ondrej Kase puts the Leafs slightly over the $81.5 million limit, though it’s allowable in the off-season.
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Ritchie trends towards high penalty minutes and has a couple of league suspensions, but rarely crosses the line. In six seasons between the Bruins and Ducks, he has 137 points in 350 regular season games. He scored a career-best 15 goals last season. Older brother Brett is with the Calgary Flames and Nick says their whole family followed the Leafs when they were young.
“You move away a few years and lose that, but now that buzz is right back on,†he said. “There were a ton of messages from people today; everyone’s excited, family and friends. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me.â€
Ritchie also got in a plug for Kase, who signed on Friday night and was his teammate in both Anaheim and Boston when injuries, mostly concussion-related, weren’t sidelining him.
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Article content“That was tough to go through, but he’s a high-end player with a lot of speed, skill and can score,†Ritchie said. “Here we are (together) again. I think he’s been a lot better and he’ll stay healthy a long period of time. The fans will love him.â€
BRIEF SAULT CONNECTION NOT LOST ON RITCHIEThe arrival of Nick Ritchie marks another case of ‘The Soo’ Flu linked to Kyle Dubas.
The Maple Leafs general manager always seems deferential towards NHLers, draft picks and hockey staffers who lived, worked or played junior in his hometown of Sault Ste. Marie, starting with Greyhounds/Leafs’ head coach Sheldon Keefe.
Ritchie spent most of his junior career with the Peterborough Petes, except for a mid-season move to The Soo in the winter of 2015, where the change of scenery netted 56 points in 47 regular season and playoff games under Keefe. Jack Campbell, Wayne Simmonds, Rasmus Sandin, the departed Joe Thornton and newcomer Michael Bunting all played there, too.
“(The Soo experience with Keefe) definitely made things more comfortable,†Ritchie said of his ultimate decision to sign with Toronto. “I always liked the way he coached and knew he’d get to the next level and here he is with the Leafs.â€
Dubas was GM of the Greyhounds from 2011-14, during which time they graduated 14 NHLers.
lhornby@postmedia.com
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