Lightning may be targeting a former Leaf at the deadline
Bo Horvat was the first domino to fall ahead of the March 3rd trade deadline and with it comes a slew of rumours for the rest of the NHL teams looking to add ahead of a post-season run. The Tampa Bay Lightning have notoriously struck gold on a lot of their deadline moves over the past few years and it paid dividends in the form of back to back Stanley Cups and 3 straight Cup Final appearances.
They might not be able to land some of the bigger names like Timo Meier, Patrick Kane, or even Erik Karlsson but they're so loaded up front that it wouldn't be necessary. They always aim for the cheap depth pieces that would fill out their top 9 or even add a little extra punch to their fourth line and now it's been reported that they are looking at former Toronto Maple Leaf and current Arizona Coyotes forward, Nick Ritchie.
A lot was expected from the former 10th overall selection from the 2014 NHL Entry Draft but he never made his case with the Anaheim Ducks, Boston Bruins, or Toronto Maple Leafs. His career high in goals was 15 in 2020-21, a career high of 31 points in 2018-19, and struck out with the Leafs before being shipped off to the Arizona Coyotes.
He currently has 9 goals and 21 points in 47 games down in the desert and will be looked upon as a cheap, big-bodied, playoff-type player to fill out several team's top-9's. He can add the tertiary scoring, he can lay down the body if needed, and he stands at 6'2 and 230 lbs.
He is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, currently carries a cap hit of $2.5 million and the forever-rebuilding Coyotes are loaded with draft picks for the next 3 years and will be looking for more.
Alongside Tampa Bay, the Calgary Flames and Winnipeg Jets have been linked to the 27 year old forward as well.
| POLL | ||
FEVRIER 1 | 60 ANSWERS Lightning may be targeting a former Leaf at the deadline Will the Bolts acquire Ritchie at the deadline? | ||
| No | 31 | 51.7 % |
| Yes | 29 | 48.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
