It’s true, Nick Ritchie has improved significantly this past year. During the 2018-19 season, on a low scoring Anaheim Ducks team, Ritchie put up 9 goals and 22 assists for 31 points in 60 games. This was an improvement on the 27 points in 76 games he put up during the 2017-18 season.
His shooting percentage went from 8.2% to 9.4%, and the advanced numbers showed improvement as well. Ritchie’s CF% went from 49.9% to 52.3% and his offensive zone starts increased from 55.6% to 62.4% percent.
Seeing this improvement is great, and looking at his team-friendly three-year contract he signed early this season, you may wonder why on earth the Anaheim Ducks would trade him.