Flames bring back Ritchie on 1-year deal

It wasn't exactly front-page news when Brett Ritchie signed a one-year deal with the Calgary Flames back in January.

Training camp was already underway and while Ritchie was a big body who had been in the NHL since 2014, it was definitely an under-the-radar signing.

By mid-season though, Ritchie was in the lineup every night and spent time playing big minutes alongside Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan.

In a disappointing season, Ritchie was a bright spot, and on Thursday the Flames announced they'd be bringing the 28-year-old back after signing him to a one-year, US$900,000 deal.

“We're ahead of schedule and a little different circumstances,” Ritchie said. “I told my agent I'd love to be back and was hoping we could get something done and here we are. It's awesome, there's a lot to look forward to with the group, so I can't wait to get back in.”

In 32 games last season, Ritchie recorded four goals and four assists, while also spending 24 minutes in the penalty box.

Those numbers don't really tell the whole story, though.

After Darryl Sutter was hired to replace Geoff Ward as the Flames head coach at mid-season, Ritchie's versatility proved to be an asset for the Flames. He was moved up and down the lineup, sometimes finding himself on the fourth line and other times being relied upon to dig pucks out of the corners for Gaudreau and Monahan.

Where does he see himself fitting in next year? Ritchie doesn't seem to be concerning himself with that too much.

“I don't think players really make those decisions,” Ritchie said. “I just look at myself as a player who can work up and down the lineup, you know. I've done that throughout my career. You just want to be a dependable player wherever you're put and I think that's what I can bring.”

A second-round pick, 44th overall, by the Dallas Stars in the 2011 NHL draft, Ritchie spent the first five years of his career with the Stars before joining the Boston Bruins for one season and then coming to Calgary.

At 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, his physical, hard-nosed style would seem to make him a good fit for the style that Sutter wants his team to play. Ritchie only cracked the Flames lineup three times under Ward but played in every game for the rest of the season after Sutter took over.

“I think certain coaches sort of play different styles and I feel like Darryl's style matched up with how I naturally play the game,” Ritchie said. “So maybe it was a little easier adjustment than other situations. I definitely think he's a great coach and a well-respected guy.”

He played in 32 games last season and the Flames can leave Ritchie exposed in next week's NHL expansion draft. Along with Milan Lucic, who has already waived his no-movement clause, that would make the Flames compliant with the league's exposure requirements for forwards.