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With absolutely nothing happening in the hockey world right now, and for the foreseeable future, I’ve decided to take the plunge and write player profiles for each member of the Calgary Flames.
As was the case when I did them last summer, we’ll be looking at the season they just put together and expectations moving forward.
I’ve written up 11 players thus far, with Cam Talbot being the most recent.
Today we’re going with his partner in crime David Rittich.
Counting stats: 48 games played, 24-17-6, .907 save percentage
5v5 underlyings: .916 save percentage, .836 high-danger save percentage
2019-20 review: David Rittich’s first season as the Flames’ relatively undisputed starter was solid. While there were most definitely some bumps along the road, there were also plenty of positives.
Rittich’s save percentage was above league average (.907 vs .905), his numbers vs high-danger shots were once again excellent, he was named an all-star (replacement), and he did all that while handling a true starter’s workload. Rittich was on pace for 56 starts, which is not a small number in today’s NHL.
There were occasions where Rittich self sabotaged with some Mike Smith-esque decisions to play the puck. He let in some softy’s along the way, too; especially from the beginning of February until the regular season reached it’s nearly certain end.
But, at the end of the day, a Flames team with a largely inconsistent offense is holding down a playoff spot and Rittich is a big reason why.
As easy as it is to get on him for his recent rough patch, this is the same guy who was forced to steal games against teams like Buffalo and Arizona earlier in the season because the Flames routinely no-showed in front of him.
Fun fact(s): Rittich posted a better save percentage vs high-danger shots (.836) than Carey Price, John Gibson, Jaroslav Halak, Frederik Andersen, and many of the league’s top netminders.
2020-21 outlook: I could see the Flames making some sizable changes this off-season. I don’t think David Rittich will be a part of that.
It hasn’t always been smooth sailing but he has started more than half of Calgary’s games in consecutive seasons. In those games, Rittich owns a remarkably strong 51-26-11 record while posting above average save percentages in both seasons.
It’d be nice to have a reliable 1B behind him – be it Cam Talbot or someone else – but I think GM Brad Treliving can be confident heading into next year with Rittich as their main man.
numbers via naturalstattrick.com and hockey-reference.com
Recent posts:
2020-21 player profile: Cam Talbot
2020-21 player profile: Milan Lucic
2020-21 player profile: Mark Giordano
2020-21 player profile: Dillon Dube
2020-21 player profile: Andrew Mangiapane
2020-21 player profile: Derek Ryan
2020-21 player profile: Sam Bennett
2020-21 player profile: T.J. Brodie
2020-21 player profile: Mikael Backlund
2020-21 player profile: Noah Hanifin
2020-21 player profile: Elias Lindholm
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