Ondrej Kase, longtime teammate of Nick Ritchie’s, said Ritchie called him at 3 am to say he’d also signed with #Leafs - “He didn’t know about the time difference. He calls me at 3 am and wants to know what I’m doing.”
Location: Pretentious Beer Snob, ON Joined: 06.22.2015
Sep 23 @ 8:13 PM ET
Nick Ritchie is my new favorite
Ondrej Kase, longtime teammate of Nick Ritchie’s, said Ritchie called him at 3 am to say he’d also signed with #Leafs - “He didn’t know about the time difference. He calls me at 3 am and wants to know what I’m doing.” - Garnie
Location: I think I'll just sit back stage until somebody that matters calls me out.-King of HB Systemtool Joined: 06.02.2010
Sep 23 @ 10:06 PM ET
If he can be on a clip to score 20+ goals on the B's there's no reason he can't score at a higher pace with the Leafs. - mjones242
Yep and after watching his highlights he's exactly what the top line needs.
I going bold and saying he will be a better option than Hyman. Everyone will want him to re sign but, alas no Cap, and he will do so well his value will be too high. Book it.
Location: Whenever, wherever, ON Joined: 06.27.2013
Sep 23 @ 10:16 PM ET
Yep and after watching his highlights he's exactly what the top line needs.
I going bold and saying he will be a better option than Hyman. Everyone will want him to re sign but, alas no Cap, and he will do so well his value will be too high. Book it. - underhill14
Ritchie is on a 2-year deal - so at least we won't lose him after this year. Don't pump his tires too much. He's good for what we need, but he is slower than our typical pace. He may not work with Matthews & Marner, possibly being better suited to Tavares speed of play - if he's going to earn a spot in the top-6.
His underlying numbers show a guy who contributes well on the power play (Pastrnak and Bergeron benefit from his absence but not significantly so; Marchand actually benefits from his presence). At 5v5 I wouldn't say he drags his linemates down per se, but Krejci and him were decent together. When Ritchie was paired with Coyle, he was less effective. My guess without seeing a lot of him is that Ritchie isn't that fast (this we know) and neither is Coyle and it probably didn't help with neither being particularly offensive on their own. Krejci has always offered more in terms of puck management.
I do think we'll get contributions from him on the power play like we need.
Location: Pretentious Beer Snob, ON Joined: 06.22.2015
Sep 23 @ 10:33 PM ET
Ritchie is on a 2-year deal - so at least we won't lose him after this year. Don't pump his tires too much. He's good for what we need, but he is slower than our typical pace. He may not work with Matthews & Marner, possibly being better suited to Tavares speed of play - if he's going to earn a spot in the top-6.
His underlying numbers show a guy who contributes well on the power play (Pastrnak and Bergeron benefit from his absence but not significantly so; Marchand actually benefits from his presence). At 5v5 I wouldn't say he drags his linemates down per se, but Krejci and him were decent together. When Ritchie was paired with Coyle, he was less effective. My guess without seeing a lot of him is that Ritchie isn't that fast (this we know) and neither is Coyle and it probably didn't help with neither being particularly offensive on their own. Krejci has always offered more in terms of puck management.
I do think we'll get contributions from him on the power play like we need. - Monkeypunk
Do the Leafs play with pace anymore? The team plays a high possession game and rarely burn teams with speed or north-south hockey. If anything, this style of game is perfect for a player like Ritchie -- he doesn't have to be blazing quick, he just needs to be able to work in the dirty areas that Mitch and AM34 would rather - and should - not get involved in. It's also a reason why he is effective on the PP: the play is largely possession based and the pace is dialed back, which plays into his strengths.
Also, I think it's safe to say that AM34/Marner or Snake/Willie will be a significant upgrade on Krejci and Coyle.
Unless he gets injured or decides to be Clarkson 2.0, he's a lock for 20+.
