The New Jersey Devils filled a gap in net Wednesday, signing veteran goaltender David Rittich to a one-year, $1 million deal. The move comes just hours after the team shipped Jacob Markstrom to the Florida Panthers in a trade that brought back forwards Evan Rodrigues, Jesper Boqvist, and prospect Ben Steeves.
Rittich, 32, spent last season backing up Ilya Sorokin with the New York Islanders. He appeared in 21 games, posting a 7-8-3 record with a 2.82 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage. Nothing flashy, but solid enough for a team that needed a reliable second option behind young starter Akira Schmid.
The Devils had been linked to bigger names in the goalie market. There was chatter about a potential run at Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck, but that never materialized. Instead, New Jersey grabbed a netminder who knows the backup role well.
From Undrafted to All-Star
Rittich’s path to the NHL is not the usual story. He went undrafted entirely, signing his first contract with the Calgary Flames before the 2016-17 season. He debuted in the league that year in a single game. Two seasons later, he became Calgary’s primary starter and earned an All-Star nod in 2019-20. That run feels like a while ago now. Since then, he has bounced around the league.
After his Calgary contract expired, he was traded to Toronto. He spent the 2021-22 season in Nashville, then backed up Hellebuyck in Winnipeg the following year. He played two seasons with the Los Angeles Kings before last year’s stop on Long Island. The guy has seen a lot of dressing rooms.
For his career, Rittich is 122-81-29 with a 2.79 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage. Those numbers won’t blow anyone away. But he is not being paid to steal games. He is being paid to keep the Devils afloat when Schmid needs a night off.
The Devils likely are not done tinkering. Free agency opens Wednesday and they still have cap space to play with. But for now, the goaltending picture is at least clear enough to start the summer.
Leave a Comment