Confirmed with Link: [ANA/BOS] Danton Heinen for Nick Ritchie

Masch78

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Oct 5, 2017
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It's a dumb trade for sure, Ritchie on top of being physical is always a plus guy in the advanced numbers spectrum in terms of adjusted shot generation, there is definitely something to him creating room for his linemates. Then you factor in how soft this team has become I absolutely hate this

I don't see this team being soft. Jones, Manson, Gudbranson, Deslauriers can all fight. And there are some gritty guys as well.

And I personally hope this will work for both teams.
 
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TSBruins13

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Mar 24, 2011
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Bruins fan coming in peace. I am on the fence with this trade. I was (what appears to be) one of the few Bruins fans who actually really liked Heinen. He is a very defensively responsible player - stays healthy - doesn't ever have any glaring f-ups on the ice. His main knock is he lacks physicality and doesn't elevate his game - he basically has one gear that he is in regardless if it is Game 7 of a playoff series or a Tuesday night blowout over a crappy team. He is a pretty vanilla player but one that you like to have in your lineup in certain cases. I consider him in the same mold as a Loui Eriksson but not quite as skilled. If he can find another gear he has the ability and smarts to be a very good player.

What are we getting with Ritchie? I've seen his fight videos and know his draft pedigree - but outside of that, not much. He looks like a large individual - does he throw his weight around? How is his skating and puck skills? Any insight is appreciated.
 

Masch78

Registered User
Oct 5, 2017
2,459
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Bruins fan coming in peace. I am on the fence with this trade. I was (what appears to be) one of the few Bruins fans who actually really liked Heinen. He is a very defensively responsible player - stays healthy - doesn't ever have any glaring f-ups on the ice. His main knock is he lacks physicality and doesn't elevate his game - he basically has one gear that he is in regardless if it is Game 7 of a playoff series or a Tuesday night blowout over a crappy team. He is a pretty vanilla player but one that you like to have in your lineup in certain cases. I consider him in the same mold as a Loui Eriksson but not quite as skilled. If he can find another gear he has the ability and smarts to be a very good player.

What are we getting with Ritchie? I've seen his fight videos and know his draft pedigree - but outside of that, not much. He looks like a large individual - does he throw his weight around? How is his skating and puck skills? Any insight is appreciated.

Ritchie is very bi-polar imho. All the tools to be a physical dominant player but somehow he left a lot on the table. The good thing, he progressed, slowly but he did. What you get? If he wants to a physical force in front of the net, someone who creates space for the linemates and someone who takes incredibly stupid penalties frequently. I wanted to keep him, honestly although, Heinen I did not know enough.
 
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WhatTheDuck

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May 17, 2007
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Bruins fan coming in peace. I am on the fence with this trade. I was (what appears to be) one of the few Bruins fans who actually really liked Heinen. He is a very defensively responsible player - stays healthy - doesn't ever have any glaring f-ups on the ice. His main knock is he lacks physicality and doesn't elevate his game - he basically has one gear that he is in regardless if it is Game 7 of a playoff series or a Tuesday night blowout over a crappy team. He is a pretty vanilla player but one that you like to have in your lineup in certain cases. I consider him in the same mold as a Loui Eriksson but not quite as skilled. If he can find another gear he has the ability and smarts to be a very good player.

What are we getting with Ritchie? I've seen his fight videos and know his draft pedigree - but outside of that, not much. He looks like a large individual - does he throw his weight around? How is his skating and puck skills? Any insight is appreciated.

Well first off for whatever reason, Ritchie hasn't fought this year or last. He does have a bad habit for taking unnecessary and untimely penalties.

What you're getting is a heavy presence with soft hands and some playmaking ability. He can be a bull in a China shop on the forecheck and cycle game, but also make skilled plays in tight quarters. Does a great job as a net front presence. He lacks the speed and agility to often be a puck carrier in transition and entry - more of a chip and chase guy, have always liked to see him be more assertive driving the net. But once you have established offensive zone time, he can be really effective, creating space with his puck protection ability and hands. He also has a pretty darn good release and may have more upside remaining as a scorer, but for whatever reason just hasn't developed much of a knack for creating shots for himself.

Defensively I would describe him as passable. He isn't one of those burners on the back check, nor does he show a standout quality for getting stick on pucks to generate turnovers, but he is generally aware and pretty sound, also pretty good at making sure pucks exit the zone on those 50/50 wall battles.
 

DigiDuck

More covfefe please.
Jan 11, 2019
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Burbank
Bruins fan coming in peace. I am on the fence with this trade. I was (what appears to be) one of the few Bruins fans who actually really liked Heinen. He is a very defensively responsible player - stays healthy - doesn't ever have any glaring f-ups on the ice. His main knock is he lacks physicality and doesn't elevate his game - he basically has one gear that he is in regardless if it is Game 7 of a playoff series or a Tuesday night blowout over a crappy team. He is a pretty vanilla player but one that you like to have in your lineup in certain cases. I consider him in the same mold as a Loui Eriksson but not quite as skilled. If he can find another gear he has the ability and smarts to be a very good player.

What are we getting with Ritchie? I've seen his fight videos and know his draft pedigree - but outside of that, not much. He looks like a large individual - does he throw his weight around? How is his skating and puck skills? Any insight is appreciated.

Well first off for whatever reason, Ritchie hasn't fought this year or last. He does have a bad habit for taking unnecessary and untimely penalties.

What you're getting is a heavy presence with soft hands and some playmaking ability. He can be a bull in a China shop on the forecheck and cycle game, but also make skilled plays in tight quarters. Does a great job as a net front presence. He lacks the speed and agility to often be a puck carrier in transition and entry - more of a chip and chase guy, have always liked to see him be more assertive driving the net. But once you have established offensive zone time, he can be really effective, creating space with his puck protection ability and hands. He also has a pretty darn good release and may have more upside remaining as a scorer, but for whatever reason just hasn't developed much of a knack for creating shots for himself.

Defensively I would describe him as passable. He isn't one of those burners on the back check, nor does he show a standout quality for getting stick on pucks to generate turnovers, but he is generally aware and pretty sound, also pretty good at making sure pucks exit the zone on those 50/50 wall battles.

Adding to Heusy, he also has some underrated vision and passing skills and has gotten better at using his linemates. Take this goal from last week that he set up with good puck skills and patience:


His upside and potential are still there, he just seems to be progressing in spurts and almost in a piecemeal-like fashion.
 

Los Patos de Anaheim

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Nov 19, 2016
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Well first off for whatever reason, Ritchie hasn't fought this year or last. He does have a bad habit for taking unnecessary and untimely penalties.

What you're getting is a heavy presence with soft hands and some playmaking ability. He can be a bull in a China shop on the forecheck and cycle game, but also make skilled plays in tight quarters. Does a great job as a net front presence. He lacks the speed and agility to often be a puck carrier in transition and entry - more of a chip and chase guy, have always liked to see him be more assertive driving the net. But once you have established offensive zone time, he can be really effective, creating space with his puck protection ability and hands. He also has a pretty darn good release and may have more upside remaining as a scorer, but for whatever reason just hasn't developed much of a knack for creating shots for himself.

Defensively I would describe him as passable. He isn't one of those burners on the back check, nor does he show a standout quality for getting stick on pucks to generate turnovers, but he is generally aware and pretty sound, also pretty good at making sure pucks exit the zone on those 50/50 wall battles.
Great description!
 

duckpuck

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Is he? Ritchie seems like the more unique player. Heinen sounds like a bland two-way forward.

Unique is like special. Not always a compliment. Ritchie has unique size and good hands/vision for a player of his size. He's also uniquely inconsistent, both in terms of production and hockey IQ, with a penchant for taking bad/soft penalties. And for a big guy, in many games he's not been much of a physical presence.

His skating/conditioning has always been a question. And while its been noticeably better this past 2 years, I do question how he'll do in the faster paced Eastern conference.

Reading through this thread has been interesting. Ritchie is quite the polarizing player for Ducks fans. I happen to be in the group that likes Ritchie. Big power forward that created space for his line mates and has good hands around the net. I’ll admit I haven’t seen much of Heinen, but looking at the scouting reports of Bruins fans he seems like a very bland acquisition. Ritchie seems like the much more unique player. Adding a soft defensive forward isn’t really going to solve any of the Ducks problems. Bob seemed set on moving Ritchie, but he should have waited until the summer and packaged Ritchie with other assets for a legit scorer.

I know very little about Heinen. But I think you're selling him short based on Boston fans' reports. He seems like a Silf with less scoring ability. That's a pretty useful player, particularly because he can play on any line. If that's accurate, he won't solve the scoring woes by scoring goals, but he will add some points. And let's fact it, Ritchie wasn't scoring either (excluding the last game), so moving him opens up a spot for someone else.

Ritchie, when drafted, was advertised to have an excellent shot. Never saw this one here. But I do honestly think Max Jones can provide what Nick did down the road. And he can skate much better.

Jones seems like more of a pest than a hulking physical presence. I agree he can be a useful 4th line player, but to this point he hasn't shown the vision, hands, passing ability, or possession skills (not to mention size) of Ritchie. Jones' speed is better and ultimately, that may be a more valuable trait. Jones is still young, so I may be underselling him. But I don't see the same toolkit as Ritchie. The problem was that Ritchie didn't know how to use his tools (yet).
 
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duckpuck

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Adding to Heusy, he also has some underrated vision and passing skills and has gotten better at using his linemates. Take this goal from last week that he set up with good puck skills and patience:


His upside and potential are still there, he just seems to be progressing in spurts and almost in a piecemeal-like fashion.


I agree with this and Heusy above. The one thing I fully expect to see - in Boston Ritchie's penalties will go down. The ducks - and Ritchie in particular - seem to be targeted by the refs. I know all fans think this, but the penalty statistics (both number and power play differential) for the past decade bear this out. And Ritchie, through his combination of size and lack of hockey smarts, seems to get more than his fair share of marginal calls.

My impression is that Boston gets the opposite treatment - refs tend to let them play. Chara for sure gets a lot of "leeway" and his presence seems to help the whole team. And of course, better teams seem to get the benefit of the doubt.
 
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ADHB

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Jones seems like more of a pest than a hulking physical presence. I agree he can be a useful 4th line player, but to this point he hasn't shown the vision, hands, passing ability, or possession skills (not to mention size) of Ritchie. Jones' speed is better and ultimately, that may be a more valuable trait. Jones is still young, so I may be underselling him. But I don't see the same toolkit as Ritchie. The problem was that Ritchie didn't know how to use his tools (yet).
At this point, Jones' trajectory is a larger Cogliano.
 

BigBear83

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Jan 29, 2013
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Haverhill, NH
i already miss danton ... just stopping in to read what your guy's take on the trade was and I figured i'd throw out my two cents.. As someone who watches every b's game I always like to find that "second tier," guy to root for.. Danton was my guy.. just a really smart player. If you have a chance go and read about his rise to becoming a legit prospect, late bloomer that just started dominating. I wish he shot more because his wrister is/can be lethal. He's just a steady guy that you feel comfortable on the ice in any situation, may look like he's lackadasical but he's just steady at every little facet. I think he's one of those guys that get's in his head, but he's so quiet that you would never know it. anyway, i know ill be watching the ducks a little closer now. Good luck
 
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pbgoalie

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Aug 8, 2010
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Just have a feeling Ritchie will be a good playoff guy for Boston
And we won’t see playoffs for awhile unless Gibson returns to freak good again

I like the idea of high iq but we don’t have anybody that brings what Ritchie does down low

There is a plan!!
Unfortunately, it feels like the plan is to get Bob to retirement, not much else
 

neelynugs

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Feb 27, 2002
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Yeah I don't like this. Ritchie has some standout qualities, Heinen just seems like a vanilla middle sixer.

you probably hit it on the head, he's a vanilla hockey player.

i'm one of the smaller group of heinen supporters. he's a good player. very good defensively,
strong on the walls, really good stick, puts pucks into the right places, has some untapped
offense that we saw in his first year but he was really gripping the stick tight this year. could
probably be a good PK guy but bruins never gave him a shot at it. has a pretty good shot but
doesn't use it enough. can play both the left and right side, and he played a bunch of center
in college. he could be an elite complementary winger on a 3rd line if all works out for him.
downside is that he has no physical element, and i consider him to be only a good skater (not
really fast, although some disagree). really nice kid, hope he does well with the ducks.
 
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HanSolo

DJ Crazy Times
Apr 7, 2008
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you probably hit it on the head, he's a vanilla hockey player.

i'm one of the smaller group of heinen supporters. he's a good player. very good defensively,
strong on the walls, really good stick, puts pucks into the right places, has some untapped
offense that we saw in his first year but he was really gripping the stick tight this year. could
probably be a good PK guy but bruins never gave him a shot at it. has a pretty good shot but
doesn't use it enough. can play both the left and right side, and he played a bunch of center
in college. he could be an elite complementary winger on a 3rd line if all works out for him.
downside is that he has no physical element, and i consider him to be only a good skater (not
really fast, although some disagree). really nice kid, hope he does well with the ducks.
I'm so confused by this formatting. Was this supposed to be a poem?
 

Sticky2

Registered User
May 2, 2017
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All you would ever read over the past few years is Ritchie would be special once he breaks out. Well, there was no breakout and there never will be.

Go ahead Bob, shake it up.
 

Terry Yake

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Aug 5, 2013
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Good luck to Ritchie, I was skeptic on him at times but I never understood the hate he got from some fans. I hope he finds his game in Boston, I think he was slowly but progressing this year.
the hate was probably due to him being drafted so high

i just don't see him ever taking that next step. we've seen the best of him
 
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Hockey Duckie

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Jul 25, 2003
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In summary, it's a contrast of an intermittent, slow, physical, and explosive player compared to a bland, fast skater, and a more complete player. What I don't understand is the "it's a lateral move" description. In my perspective, the Ducks have been sloppy in their play.

There's two ways to win: outscore the other team via better offense or outlast the other team with better defense. I'm sad to see the potential of Ritchie go, but we're still waiting on that potential. With Heinen, we get a more complete player, though bland. I like the more complete player because he can help mitigate sloppiness on the ice and be reliable every time he's on the ice to deliver such a performance.

With Ritchie, when he's on, then he's en fuego. Unfortunately, he's not on often. Yes, a significant part is that he's a 10th overall pick, but it's that potential is why a lot of Duck fans aren't happy losing him. But if we take a step back, Ritchie has been counted upon to lead the next group of Ducks and it hasn't come close to fruition yet. On the other extreme, Kase is a 7th round pick who is an offensive, energizer bunny of a dynamo with speed. Kase was traded because of his lack of durability. Anaheim can't absorb his loss in the lineup if we're to rely on him now and into the far future. That's a significant gamble. When you compare Ritchie and Kase' production on paper and on-ice, it's baffling to wonder who's the 10th overall and the 7th round pick.

Ritchie is similar to Pat Maroon, but Maroon was a 6th round draft pick.

The Ducks are bottom dwellers. We were bottom dwellers for most of last season too. Something in our core needed changing. That's one of the significant reasons why I don't mind this trade.
 

Paul4587

Registered User
Jan 26, 2006
31,162
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the hate was probably due to him being drafted so high

i just don't see him ever taking that next step. we've seen the best of him

Well he’s taken steps each of the last two seasons. They’re small steps but he’s definitely improving.

It can take a long time for the bigger forwards that have tools but are flawed players to come into their own. Not directly comparing the two but Tom Wilson was a year older than Ritchie is now when he broke out and turner into a 20 goal scorer. Both guys had similar numbers in juniors and Ritchie actually outperformed him offensively in their early NHL seasons.
 

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