The Colorado Avalanche announced today that top prospect Calum Ritchie is heading back to the Oshawa Generals of the OHL.
The move is rather unsurprising. Ritchie had a strong showing during the preseason, prompting the Avs to give him a shot on the team out of training camp. But as I pointed out earlier, Ritchie was getting a trial with the big club. It was highly unlikely that he would stick with the club for the entire season.
Had Ritchie gone nuts, he could have stuck with the team. However, Ritchie only managed a goal in seven games. He started on the second line with Casey Mittelstadt and Nikolai Kovalenko. But then, the Jonathan Drouin injury threw the Avalanche’s situation into a frenzy, leading to line shuffling.
By the time the dust settled, Ritchie was on the third line with Parker Kelly and Miles Wood. In Ritchie’s last game, he played 7:14 minutes against the Seattle Kraken. It was evident coach Jared Bednar had become increasingly doubtful of his overall contribution to the team.
Of course, we’re not saying that Ritchie is a bad player, far from it. He’s quite good and has a high ceiling. It’s just that he’s too young. Ritchie needs more time to develop by playing regular, top-six minutes. That wasn’t going to happen with Colorado.
So, sending him back to the OHL was the best move for Ritchie and the Avs.
Colorado Avalanche didn’t want to burn Ritchie’s first year
There’s another powerful reason for sending Ritchie back now. Under current CBA rules, players on entry-level contracts (ELC) who appear in 10 games or more qualify for the first year of their deal. So, had the Avs kept Ritchie past game nine, they would have burned through the first year of his ELC.
That tactic is used by just about every team in order to delay, by one year, the point where young players can become restricted free agents (RFAs). However, that move will only work this season as the Avs won’t be able to pull the move off next year.
Next season, Ritchie must either play in the AHL or NHL. That situation would mean burning that first year of his ELC. So, fans will get to see more of Calum Ritchie next season after his final year in the OHL. In the meantime, we’ll be sure to keep tabs on Ritchie as he likely tears up the competition in the OHL.