Anaheim Ducks: Is it Time to Think About Trading Nick Ritchie?

The Anaheim Ducks roster is getting a little cramped, and changes have to be made in the form of a trade or two. Is Nick Ritchie the odd man out?

It’s true, Nick Ritchie has improved significantly this past year. During the 2018-19 season, on a low scoring Anaheim Ducks team, Ritchie put up 9 goals and 22 assists for 31 points in 60 games. This was an improvement on the 27 points in 76 games he put up during the 2017-18 season.

His shooting percentage went from 8.2% to 9.4%, and the advanced numbers showed improvement as well. Ritchie’s CF% went from 49.9% to 52.3% and his offensive zone starts increased from 55.6% to 62.4% percent.

Seeing this improvement is great, and looking at his team-friendly three-year contract he signed early this season, you may wonder why on earth the Anaheim Ducks would trade him. Looking at next season, Ducks General Manager, Bob Murray, has a lot of questions to answer about the forward core.

Who Is the Odd Man Out?

While older players like Patrick Eaves and Ryan Kesler may have seen their final days on the ice due to injuries, there is always a slight possibility they find themselves healthy enough to play at some point next season. Along with that, the Ducks extended both Adam Henrique and Jakob Silfverberg within the past year, and this means that Murray hopes to compete again as soon as next year.

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This seems to be the almost unanimous message in the locker room and you could certainly point to injuries as one excuse for why the Ducks were so bad in the 2018-19 season. Along with the experienced group of forwards that occupy positions in Anaheim, there is a decent handful of younger forwards who played some games with the Ducks this past year and are likely to play full time with the team this upcoming season. Sam Steel, Troy Terry, Max Comtois, Daniel Sprong, Max Jones, and Kiefer Sherwood all present a case for a spot in the Anaheim Ducks forward core next year.

With all this being said, the Ducks seem to have an abundance on NHL worthy forwards next year. So the question Murray must ask himself this summer is “who is the odd man out?” In my eyes, the Anaheim Ducks have at least 14 forwards signed who could play next year. With so much talent throughout the roster, I believe that odd man out is Nick Ritchie.

Could His Time in the Sin Bin Send Him Packing?

Ritchie is just simply too undisciplined to stay on the roster. The Anaheim Ducks were 4th in penalties with 320 PIM this past season, and they almost never could seem to draw one for themselves. The main culprit for the Ducks penalties is Ritchie.

Ritchie’s penalty minutes have gone up with every year he has played, and this year he had 82 PIM in 60 games. Ritchie has taken a lot of bad penalties and clearly the Ducks constantly falling shorthanded hurts them. This is an issue that I do not see with a lot of the younger guys.

To further prove this point, Troy Terry had 4 PIM in 41 games with the San Diego Gulls last season, and 2 in 32 games with the Ducks. Sam Steel had 24 PIM in 53 games with the Gulls and 8 PIM in 22 games with the Ducks last season. Comtois and Jones both take more than what’s ideal, but I believe their skill and speed more than make up for it. Ritchie, not as much.

I believe with the core we have, he is a player who is easy to replace, even if it looks like he could develop into a solid top 6 forward. The NHL entry draft is two months away and Murray’s best bet is to move Ritchie then and try to get a decent pick or two in the upcoming draft. The fact that Ritchie is making less than $2M a year and is coming off of a season where he showed promise means teams are very likely to be interested.

I’d look at a team like Pittsburgh, who is desperate for change after getting swept by the Islanders, as a team to trade Ritchie to. The Penguins have wanted to get more grit on the roster and Ritchie is a perfect option. A young rising talent who is getting more skilled, but still contains that physicality you want in a playoff series. If the Ducks can look to flip Ritchie for a solid draft pick or two, the team will be better off in the long run, and the Ducks will open some space for another young forward to shine.

Do you think Nick Ritchie will be traded in the offseason, or is someone else on the trade block? Let us know what your thoughts are by leaving us a comment in the comment section down below!