Anaheim Ducks: Countdown to the Season Opener- Nick Ritchie
Our countdown the season opener continues. Fortunately, the long and anticipated wait for the Anaheim Ducks regular season to start is almost over. There are only 37 more days left until the Anaheim Ducks face-off against the Sharks at the SAP Center in San Jose.
There is not one person that is a stranger to having expectations placed on them. Whether it’s at a job, your family, or simply expectations that you’ve placed on yourself, we’ve all had to deal with them in one way or another. The Anaheim Ducks are no exception to this rule. Expectations are just a part of this beautiful circle we call life. However, they aren’t always realistic.
Why do I bring this up? It was while reading an article about Nick Ritchie, published by one of our own at Pucks of a Feather, that I realized I was guilty of putting unrealistic expectations on him. Of course, in hindsight, that isn’t fair. However, NR37 is no stranger to facing criticism. He has been a big source of contention for all of Ducks Nation this summer, and understandably so.
I say understandably because the arguments against him are valid. However, they only make sense if you forget to think about the bigger picture. If you exclude all of the extenuating circumstances of 2017-18, the argument against Nick Ritchie seems like a pretty easy open and close case.
I could play the devil’s advocate all day and point out everything that is wrong with Ritchie’s game. Nevertheless, I am a glass half full kind of person and I prefer to look at the positives. I’m not going to claim that Ritchie is everything we ever hoped and dreamed he would be. He is still young and, in my opinion, a little underdeveloped. I do, however, think it is fair to say that he deserves the chance to find himself as a player and prove that he has what it takes to make it in the “big leagues.”
For the time being, let’s push aside our negative opinions of NR37 and stop analyzing his faults. Instead, let’s take a look at what he added to the team during the 2017-18 season.
The Shootout of the Season
When the NHL first adopted the shootout, I was not a huge fan. Nevertheless, I have come to appreciate the shootout and why it was instituted in the first place. Still, that doesn’t mean that I am any less antsy during a shootout.
Shootout’s always leave me on the edge of my seat. It makes me nervous when the fate of a game comes down to whether or not a single player can outsmart the opposing team’s goaltender. The player, or the goalie, has one chance to change the outcome of the game. That is why the February 17, 2018 game against the Minnesota Wild stands out to me so much. My dad’s favorite team is Minnesota, so it also doesn’t help that my pride is on the line everytime the Ducks are pitted against the Wild.
The Ducks scored on an early Corey Perry goal, but their one-goal lead didn’t last long. Minnesota scored a goal late in the first period, at 15:36, tieing the game. The Wild scored their second goal at 7:56 of the second, giving them a 2-1 lead over the Anaheim Ducks. However, with Nick Ritchie and Hampus Lindholm on the assist, Ondrej Kase tied the game at 6:12 into the third period. When neither team was able to successfully score again, the game was sent into overtime.
Overtime passed without a goal, and the game was sent into a shootout. John Gibson was successful in blocking the first two shots. Things looked favorable for Anaheim when Ryan Getzlaf scored the first shootout goal. However, Devan Dubnyk stepped up his game in the net and saved the next two shots. After Niederreiter and Kase tied the shootout at 2-2, the game took a wild turn.
After 12 unsuccessful shootout attempts, Minnesota’s Mathew Dumba failed to get a goal past Gibson in the 11th round. The outcome of the game now rested in Nick Ritchie’s hands. With the puck on his stick, he powered down the ice. He rocketed a shot past Dubnyk, and the fate of the game was sealed. After 22 shot attempts, Anaheim finally won the game 3-2.
Not only did Nick Ritchie win the game for the Ducks, but he secured me bragging rights for the rest of the season.
Overpowering the “Enemy”
It’s not a secret that the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings don’t like each other very much. They take their I-5 rivalry seriously. It’s not unusual for there to be a laundry list of penalties attributed to both teams in a single game. Over the 2017-18 season, the two teams met five times. Over those five games, there was a combined total of 42 penalties, and 139 penalty minutes.
It is also no secret that Nick Ritchie has received plenty of criticism for how physically he plays. That is understandable, especially considering he had a career-high of 72 penalty minutes in 2017-18. It makes sense that a young player with no accountability would play erratically. He is still trying to figure out who he is as a player, and he struggled with inconsistency.
Despite having a temper, there were a few instances last season when we saw him use his physicality and strength properly. We saw a glimpse of what kind of player Nick Ritchie could be with a little more experience, consistency, accountability, and development.
An example this side of him came out on March 30, 2018, during the Ducks and Kings final meeting of the season. The Ducks were down 1-0 after a Drew Doughty at 6:01 of the first period. After several attempts in the opening period, and through most of the second, Anaheim was unsuccessful in tieing up the game.
Ondrej Kase saw an opportunity open up when he gained possession of the puck with 3:13 left in the second period. Worming his way around Dion Phaneuf, he fed the puck to Francois Beauchemin, who attempted to score. However, the puck was unable to make its way past the high traffic area in front of the net.
Ritchie grabbed the puck off the rebound, waiting for an opportune moment to send it into the net. L.A. forward Trevor Lewis attempted to overpower him to gain possession of the puck. NR37 out-muscled him and knocked him away. This Ritchie enough time to sneak the puck past Jonathan Quick, tieing the game 1-1.
Eventually, the game was sent into overtime. Rickard Rakell cashed in on a pass from Brandon Montour and won the game for Anaheim, 2-1.
Small Steps in the Right Direction
Despite the reputation, he’s earned as a “hot head”, Nick Ritchie has still taken a few small steps in the right direction. Although he was one point behind 2016-17, he still managed to post decent numbers for the kind of player he is. We also have to take into consideration that he played on a line without a consistent center for almost half the season.
I wholeheartedly believe that every player on the Anaheim Ducks is equally as important as the rest. However, the men who play center seem to stand up to the name. Ryan Getzlaf and Ryan Kesler are both in prominent leadership positions on the team. Not only do they influence the attitude of their team, they act as the accountable veterans on their respective lines.
As I mentioned before, Nick Ritchie didn’t have the accountability on his line that the rest of his team did. That is until Adam Henrique came along. Yes, it is worth mentioning that Ondrej Kase had a breakout season. Although both players are the same age, and Nick Ritchie has a little more NHL experience, Ondrej Kase was given an extra season to develop down on the farm.
Kase only played on more game than Nick Ritchie while he was playing with the Gulls. However,
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the games he played expand over two seasons. Kase also plays a slightly different style compared to his power-forward counterpart. Nick Ritchie was brought up, probably a little too early, and has been trying to catch up ever since.
Nevertheless, he still had a career high in assists. He ended the 2017-18 season with 17 assists credited to his name. That is three more than the previous season. Although it is a small step, it is a step in the right direction.
As my co-contributor, Kenny, mentioned in his article about giving Nick Ritchie a chance, it takes time to develop power forwards. Most of them don’t have a breakout season until they are 22 or 23. That information alone should serve as a beacon of hope to everyone who feels slightly disappointed by NR37’s performance over the past few seasons.
Let’s just hope that with the added bonus of resigning of Adam Henrique and the continued consistency of Ondrej Kase, Nick Ritchie can have the breakthrough we are all hoping for.
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Nick Ritchie’s future with the Anaheim Ducks is still uncertain. With 37 days until the home opener, he is still at RFA status. Hopefully, the Ducks can cut him a deal that serves to benefit everyone.