Blues add another veteran for competition, sign Ritchie to PTO

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- The St. Louis Blues added to their list of players that could potentially make the competition for the bottom six forward group that much stronger by signing veteran Nick Ritchie to a professional tryout.

Ritchie, 27, split last season between the Arizona Coyotes and Calgary Flames, scoring 26 points (13 goals, 13 assists) in 74 regular-season games; he was acquired by the Flames along with defenseman Troy Stecher on March 3 for brother Brett Richie and Connor Mackey.

Nick Ritchie joins Isaac Ratcliffe, who signed a PTO with the Blues on Aug. 24 from the Philadelphia Flyers to compete for a bottom six slot.

What can Ritchie bring to the table? Well, he brings a physical element that has bite to his game, as evidenced by his ability to hit (218 last season), he can give you 10-15 goals from a fourth-line role per season (he's had 10 or more goals per season in five of his eight NHL seasons), and most importantly, it adds to the depth of what has become an important and necessary ingredient when it comes to providing quality for the fourth line.

Much like Ratcliffe, who also will look to prove his worth when camp opens next week, Ritchie will compete for a one-way contract or at the very least, a two-way contract and could open with the Springfield Thunderbirds and provide them with veteran leadership and be on the radar for the Blues should injuries arise, which on most instances is always the case.

Ritchie will come in and compete with the likes of Mackenzie MacEachern and Nathan Walker and offer insurance to Oskar Sundqvist and Alexey Toropchenko; Nikita Alexandrov, Zach Dean and Zachary Bolduc are young draft picks within the organization eager to make the jump to the NHL, looking for a spot on the opening night roster. 

Ritchie could also be auditioning himself, should things not work out in St. Louis, for a job elsewhere, but the Blues have been known in recent past to sign players to contracts after earning a job through PTO's. Tyler Pitlick did so last season by getting a one-year contract. James Neal earned himself a contract in 2021 and Mike Hoffman in 2020.

Ritchie was originally selected by the Anaheim Ducks with the 10th pick of the 2014 NHL Draft. In eight NHL seasons, the Orangeville, Ontario native has 186 points (84 goals, 102 assists) and 483 penalty minutes in 481 regular-season games.