Player Discussion Brett Ritchie - WAIVED!!!!!!!!!

[Smitty93]

Here's the thing, we all knew that Ritchie didn't have it in the preseason. It took Sweeney, Cassidy, Neely, etc. 48 games into the season to figure it out. That's incredibly frustrating as a fan. It shouldn't take that long to make a decision that the entire fan base had gotten to months ago. It's so disheartening because if it took them that long to figure that out, how long is it going to take for them to figure out the other issues?

 

[bruins repeat time]

As far as Backes vs Ritchiw I don't see a big difference hockey wise . Backes scores better but I actually think Ritchie is just as good or a touch better .

However Backes is a way better team guy although a far less skilled fighter . I think we are looking at a trade or two soon . Kuhlman is the only in house option that could possibly stick in the line up fulltime and that is a stretch.

 

[CDJ]

I see people on Facebook defending him, reminds me of why I need to deactivate that

 

[Tbaybruin]

Backes next please. We have a ton of leadership. Offers us nothing. All the money we save on 63-37-88 is wasted on Backes. Guy gives us nothing. If you can’t come though playing against your former team for a cup. Your done. Nice guy but again that doesn’t help us

 

[Fenian24]

Backes next please. We have a ton of leadership. Offers us nothing. All the money we save on 63-37-88 is wasted on Backes. Guy gives us nothing. If you can’t come though playing against your former team for a cup. Your done. Nice guy but again that doesn’t help us

That leadership did nothing the other night once Rask got run. They saw what happened between periods with zero response, they let Cassidy take shots at them in the media (which is such a classic gutless move by this fraud, same crap he did in Washington), they need more leadership not less.

I get Backes playing situation, I get the cap hit. He also has a relatively full NTC (8 teams, they would all be cap teams he couldn't be dealt to) and a coach who hates players like him. Not the slow ineffective player he is now, I get what he is, but tough players who stand up for their teammates.

They need better, more vocal leadership as they have sponge bob square pants mixed with Greg Heffley as their coach.

 

[Tbaybruin]

Your right. It about a team concept of grit accountability and team toughness. One problem they went to the finals with this. The had some success and made a lot of money. Happy owner.

 

[LSCII]

I get taking a flier on a guy that was highly touted and hasn't panned out in the hopes that maybe he's a late bloomer, but it was obvious from day one that he was not that. And with a cap situation like they have, even a million dollars was too much to waste on a complete plug like this guy. Instead of eating up 1 roster spot and $6 mill of cap with Backes, they compounded the issue by making it 2 roster spots and $7 mill for useless players. That's the literal definition of throwing good money after bad.

 

[AngryMilkcrates]

He was given every chance and opportunity.

If he could not score he had the perfect example in Backes of "Contribute to the team without the puck"
Bruces calling out of players over just that should have been a blinking neon sign to him of what to do. He was given perfect chances to do just that and chose to do nothing.

He has only himself to blame over this. I did not so much expect him to succeed as at least try. This is quite possibly the last chance of his career his just tossed away.

I hope he has a good back-up plan outside of hockey.

 

[RussellmaniaKW]

So because he fought someone before and held his own, that makes him a fighter or enforcer? I couldn’t disagree with your logic or that of others who have this train of though, to be honest. Ritchie wasn’t brought in to be an enforcer or fighter here and never really has been. If his last resort is trying to literally fight and stay in the lineup, it’s just a waste. You can fault Ritchie for a lot, but blaming him for being something he never has been just doesn’t make sense to me.

I don't expect him to take on the "role" of enforcer, but the guy is 6'3 220 and a decently skilled fighter. We're not talking about a Sedin twin here. If it's not in his DNA to be the guy who is fighting every night I get it, but when a guy's roster spot (and NHL career) are hanging by a thread and a situation occurs where a teammate could use some backup I don't think it's unreasonable to expect the guy to put his skills to use in that situation while he's trying to find his real game. The guy doesn't have to be Shawn Thornton, but this is one way that he can contribute given that he's not contributing much else. I'm not suggesting anything out of left field here, guys in bottom 6 roles have dropped the gloves to justify a roster spot in hockey since time immemorial. For what it's worth I also recognize that guys like Wagner & Kuraly deserve some of the same criticism and shouldn't get a free pass, but those guys have been here a while and come up big in some big situations so they get more rope.

Anyway I wish the guy no ill will, but he hasn't seized any of his opportunities here so it's time to move on.

 

[Skelen]

I see people on Facebook defending him, reminds me of why I need to deactivate that

You think people on here are bad, you should see the Facebook comments on the Bruins page

 

[TCB]

I see people on Facebook defending him, reminds me of why I need to deactivate that

Hopefully one of them is an NHL General Manager

 

[ON3M4N]

I'm wondering if Ritchie was sent down because they knew they were going to have to call-up a goalie. Odds of him getting claimed are low and even if he did you'd replace him with someone like Khulman or Senyshyn when Rask returns. I actually thought he had played better the past few games compared to what he had been (although that part was pretty low).

 

[AngryMilkcrates]

I'm wondering if Ritchie was sent down because they knew they were going to have to call-up a goalie. Odds of him getting claimed are low and even if he did you'd replace him with someone like Khulman or Senyshyn when Rask returns. I actually thought he had played better the past few games compared to what he had been (although that part was pretty low).

Your treading in dangerous water my friend. If it turns out Ritchie was waived solely to bring up Vladar rather than all the reasons everyone here is thinking he was waived for...
This place will self destruct even further.

 

[Dr Hook]

I'm wondering if Ritchie was sent down because they knew they were going to have to call-up a goalie. Odds of him getting claimed are low and even if he did you'd replace him with someone like Khulman or Senyshyn when Rask returns. I actually thought he had played better the past few games compared to what he had been (although that part was pretty low).

There are guys here who know these intricacies better than I, but I would imagine Vladar or Lagace will be brought up on an emergency recall if Tuuka can't go, which is a different set of rules and not to do with Ritchie. This how they did it earlier in the season.

 

[ON3M4N]

There are guys here who know these intricacies better than I, but I would imagine Vladar or Lagace will be brought up on an emergency recall if Tuuka can't go, which is a different set of rules and not to do with Ritchie. This how they did it earlier in the season.

Maybe, I'm not sure how the emergency call-up works.

 

[weinsink]

Good riddence,doesn't know his job!

 

[northeastern]

If I had a choice, neither. However, I don’t think they’re going to address the issue with the lack of stones.

Backes is slow, and hasn’t been physical since he got his brain scrambled. You’re basically ditching Ritchie to add in Backes, which at best, is a wash. In fact, Backes has been far less physical.

I hope it's a kid that comes up to replace Ritchie I hope...

 

[Dr Hook]

I hope it's a kid that comes up to replace Ritchie I hope...

It's Kuhlman.

 

[BruinsFanMike82]

Ritchie cleared waivers.

 

[Dr Hook]

Ritchie cleared waivers.

Color me shocked!

 

[Blowfish]

Dad must be thinking my trip to Florida ?

 

[ODAAT]

had 0 issues with the low risk/maybe reward signing, what I had/have issues with is lining him up beside DK and to have kept him around this long and still be stubborn enough to roll him out with the top 6

Honestly had been ok with Ritchie`s game the last few weeks, would have liked to have seen him punted down to the 4th line, Kuraly punted upstairs and see how his game looked there compared to being in the top 6 but oh well. Still put him in too many games into the entirely incorrect place on the depth chart

 

[Dr Hook]

had 0 issues with the low risk/maybe reward signing, what I had/have issues with is lining him up beside DK and to have kept him around this long and still be stubborn enough to roll him out with the top 6

Honestly had been ok with Ritchie`s game the last few weeks, would have liked to have seen him punted down to the 4th line, Kuraly punted upstairs and see how his game looked there compared to being in the top 6 but oh well. Still put him in too many games into the entirely incorrect place on the depth chart

I did not like seeing him in on the 2nd line either, but I guess on the positive side, the Bruins did right by him by giving him every opportunity to succeed and gave it enough time for them to be sure about what he was as a player. Hopefully he spend the rest of the season in Prov, and moves on to another org in the summer.

 

[AngryMilkcrates]

The proper response:

 

[The Laukomotive]

The proper response:

Cassidy sounds like he has been wanting to send Ritchie down for a very long time.