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The Maple Leafs continue another attempt to toughen up for the playoffs by adding some muscle to their Core Four.
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Latest to come aboard Saturday morning was UFA left winger Nick Ritchie, whose return to his GTA birthplace has long been rumoured. The former Boston Bruin signed for two years with an AAV of $2.5 million US and could possibly fill the Zach Hyman vacancy on the first line.
The 6-foot-2, 230-pound Ritchie had 26 points in 56 regular season games with Boston, for which he played 19 post-season games in two years. That alone would give him seniority on a Toronto team that has stalled in the first round five straight springs.
Ritchie also did well with his draft team, the Anaheim Ducks, taken 10th overall in the 2014, two spots behind William Nylander, one of the Leafs’ centrepieces whose large salaries have prevented more well-known UFAs from fitting under Toronto’s cap.
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Speaking of that, the Ritchie signing and that of forward Ondrej Kase late Friday night puts the club over $81.5 million, but that’s allowable in the off-season. Ritchie joins Michael Bunting and Kurtis Gabriel among a number of budget signings of players who general manager Kyle Dubas hopes will show a passion through 82 regular games and into playoffs.
The additions of Wayne Simmonds and Joe Thornton last season clearly were not enough. Ritchie has a high penalty minutes total and a couple of league suspensions, but rarely crosses the line. Primarily groomed with the Peterborough Petes of the OHL, he spent a final junior year with Dubas’s beloved Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, showing the Soo Flu permeating the Leafs’ roster and hockey office shows no signs of abating.
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In six NHL seasons between the Bruins and Ducks, Orangeville native Ritchie has 137 points in 350 regular season games and appeared in 38 playoff contests. He was also on Canada’s 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship squad. Older brother Brett is with the Calgary Flames.
In a Zoom call with the media, Ritchie said once he wasn’t qualified by Boston and unexpectedly found himself on the market, a Leafs deal came together quickly.
“I got to talk to some 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.
“Knowing (Dubas and Soo coach Sheldon Keefe) made things more comfortable. Lots of teams were interested, but 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).
“This has been a great team for a few years, I know they have not got the reward of winning a close series. Sometimes in hockey, that’s the way it goes. You have to lose a few times before you get over that hump and it’s at that point now that the team is ready to take that next step. Hopefully I can help.”
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMibGh0dHBzOi8vdG9yb250b3N1bi5jb20vc3BvcnRzL2hvY2tleS9uaGwvdG9yb250by1tYXBsZS1sZWFmcy9tYXBsZS1sZWFmcy1zaWduLW5pY2stcml0Y2hpZS10by10b3VnaGVuLXJvc3RlctIBmgFodHRwczovL3Rvcm9udG9zdW4uY29tL3Nwb3J0cy9ob2NrZXkvbmhsL3Rvcm9udG8tbWFwbGUtbGVhZnMvbWFwbGUtbGVhZnMtc2lnbi1uaWNrLXJpdGNoaWUtdG8tdG91Z2hlbi1yb3N0ZXIvd2NtL2ZmZTkyOGRjLWY5OTgtNDc3Mi1iM2YzLTBhOTUzNjI3MjM1ZC9hbXAv?oc=5
2021-07-31 14:32:22Z
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