Leafs reportedly want to retain Ritchie, despite waiving him
The Toronto Maple Leafs shocked the hockey world on Thursday with their decision to waive 26-year-old Nick Ritchie just 30 games into his Leafs career after a disappointing start.
Ritchie had been held to just one goal on the season, adding 7 assists for a meagre 8 points in 30 games, but had been praised on multiple occasions by head coach Sheldon Keefe for doing "a lot of good things".
Ritchie had been brought in on a 2-year, $5M deal this summer to help bolster the Leafs' top six, but despite a long look on the Leafs' top line with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, Ritchie began his gradual fall to the team's 4th line.
While this decision may seem to be an attempt at clearing Ritchie's $2.5M for this year and next off the books, the Toronto Sun's Terry Koshan points out that the Leafs are not hoping that Ritchie is claimed. The goal here appears to be to assign Ritchie to the team's taxi squad, but he was required to clear waivers to for such an assignment.
The Orangeville, Ontario native is still an asset to the team, despite the team waiving him on Thursday - particularly when it comes to the postseason, where the games get rough and the calls are less frequent.
In my gut, something tells me that Ritchie, a former top-10 pick (10th overall by the Anaheim Ducks in 2014), will be claimed, but stranger things have happened, and perhaps his low production this season will be enough to dissuade teams from taking a chance on him.. but I'm not holding my breath. I think Ritchie is as good as gone.
