Boston Bruins: Improved depth on right wing courtesy of Brett Richie signing

The Boston Bruins have improved the depth of their right wing, adding former Dallas Stars forward, Brett Ritchie on the first day of free agency.

Brett Ritchie agreed to a one-year ‘prove yourself’ type deal valued at $1 million. Whilst he doesn’t scream out to be anything more than bottom-six (most probably fourth line) depth for the Boston Bruins, he does have some elements to his game that should appeal.

He adds a bit of size to the Boston Bruins roster, with a 6’4″, 220 pound frame that means he isn’t one that you can easily push around. Likewise, he doesn’t hide away from the physical aspects of the game making him a perfect fit for the Boston style of hockey.

He has proven in the past that he can put the puck in the back of the net, although his 2016-17 season seems to be a bit of an outlier. That year, he scored 16 goals and tallied 8 assists in 78 games for the Dallas Stars, earning himself a contract that rather overpaid.

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As noted, the obvious spot that Brett Ritchie slots into is on the fourth line, pushing David Backes completely out of the line-up, though you could also make the argument that he’ll sit his fair share of games too and be pushed into the line-up primarily against more physical opponents.

With only a one year contract at near league minimum and as a 26 year-old that doesn’t seem to be injured often, if it all, this deal is a relatively safe bet. At best, you get the Brett Ritchie that scores 16 goals in a depth role in the Boston Bruins line-up.

At absolute worst, you get a player that just about holds their own, steps in and out of the line-up as deemed necessary and doesn’t really impact the cap to the extent of preventing the renewals of more important players.

All in all, this deal is a bit of a win for the Boston Bruins especially given that they lost Noel Acciari to the Florida Panthers and he’s now being paid an additional half million to what Ritchie will be costing the team.

They’ve essentially traded out good, small, feisty depth for bigger, grittier depth at an ever so slightly cheaper price.