- New Jersey signs veteran goaltender David Rittich to a one-year deal in free agency
- Rittich lands with the Devils after the club shipped Jacob Markstrom to Florida
- Read below for what the 33-year-old adds to New Jersey’s goaltending picture
The Devils had a goalie-sized hole to fill. They took care of it Thursday.
New Jersey signed veteran David Rittich to a one-year contract, giving the club an experienced hand for a crease that had thinned out in a hurry.
His arrival comes right after the Devils shipped Jacob Markstrom to the Panthers in a five-player deal. That trade left Jake Allen and Nico Daws as the only goalies on the depth chart, and the front office clearly wanted more insurance behind them.
Rittich, 33, is coming off a season with the Islanders, where he backed up Ilya Sorokin. The Czech netminder has bounced around since breaking in with Calgary, with stops in Toronto, Nashville, Winnipeg and Los Angeles before landing on Long Island.
He carries a 122-81-29 career record across 260 NHL games, with a 2.79 goals-against average, a .903 save percentage and nine shutouts. Undrafted out of the Czech system, Rittich has built a long career as a dependable option who can steal a night here and there.
Allen and Daws already gave the Devils a cheap tandem, and now Rittich adds another veteran arm to the group. Allen went 17-17-2 in 37 games last season, while Daws re-signed on a two-year deal to stay in the mix.
Markstrom is out, and New Jersey is rebuilding the position on a budget. Rittich fits that plan just fine.
