Alexander Pope once wrote that “hope springs eternal in every human breast.” This is certainly true for Brett Ritchie, who’s been given the gift of an open Boston Bruins roster spot on the eve of the regular season.
But will his hope blossom into a permanent role, or will it wither away like the leaves of the autumn tree?
With only two days separating the Boston Bruins from their regular season debut against the Dallas Stars, Bruins fans were met with unfortunate news on Tuesday: dependable bottom-six forward Joakim Nordstrom was placed on injured reserve due to a foot injury. The timetable for his return is not yet clear.
While unfortunate for Nordstrom himself, this opens up a roster spot for one of the Bruins’ newest acquisitions: Brett Ritchie.
#NHLBruins assign Peter Cehlarik and Jakub Zboril to @AHLBruins; Joakim Nordstrom placed on IR: https://t.co/XaXayoPfUz
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) October 1, 2019
The Boston Bruins scooped up Brett Ritchie through free agency in a fairly quiet off-season, and we’ve written some exploratory pieces brainstorming where exactly he might factor into the mostly unchanged lineup.
With Nordstrom out of commission, Brett Ritchie will slot into that empty fourth-line right-wing position. While Cassidy is a known proponent of line gymnastics, it’s a safe bet to say that Ritchie might just start out centered by last year’s folk hero Sean Kuraly.
Coincidentally enough, Ritchie was just telling NESN that he’s happy to make just about anything work, which is never a bad thing given the unpredictability of the NHL regular season.
"“I’m pretty confident whatever centerman, whatever left winger I get it, it’s going to be a good line and we can make something happen.” – Brett Ritchie, as reported by Logan Mullen of NESN"
In (about) five years in the NHL, Ritchie has settled into a bottom-six role and performed accordingly. He’s picked up 54 points in 241 NHL games, but at 6’4″ and 220 lbs he adds size, a desirable trait for any player on the bottom six.
I’d be afraid to be between him and the boards if I’m with the puck, I’ll just say that.
Looking a little deeper into the stats (if you’re interested in that sort of thing), Ritchie averaged 11 minutes a night on his depth role with the Stars and generally added a slight edge to possession metrics when he was on the ice.
But really, those statistics don’t mean much when we consider that Ritchie will be facing a complete reset this season: new team, new conference, and new expectations. While he wasn’t a scoring man on the Stars, he could just click with his linemates and score a couple for the Boston Bruins.
I think that looking at prior stats can give fans a general idea of what to expect from a new player, but it’s crucial to give any new addition the benefit of the doubt, especially when it’s a relatively low-risk signing that’ll likely end positively for the Boston Bruins.
With the added urgency of Nordstrom being out and finding himself elevated to a more permanent-looking spot on the roster in the meantime, Ritchie might find the fire within and give us a pleasant surprise. It’s hard to tell until play starts and we can get a general hold on his play.
In order to make a good impression and stay on the team when Nordstrom comes back, Ritchie’s gonna have to bring it starting from the first puck drop of the season.
This is his big chance, and his first opportunity to prove that he can be a valuable addition to the team will happen in Dallas, his old stomping grounds, on Oct. 3.