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Originally Posted by Textcritic
I am pretty sure Rittich knows better than everyone where he stands within the organization. Just because he is not starting the next game it does not mean that he is also not being rewarded with more opportunities.
People seem to forget that Rittich is a second-year goalie. He has a grand-total of 22 NHL starts on his resume, with only 16 of those in his rookie season. He is on track to start close to 30-games this year with the likelihood that it could be more. That on its own is a HUGE reward for a guy in his position.
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For me, it's not about giving Rittich more games, but rather Smith fewer. If that means somehow acquiring another #1 goalie, then ok. But in the meantime, Rittich should be given a chance to run with it.
Maybe Rittich can take a Matt Murray trajectory. He played in 13 games as a rookie (not sure how many he actually started) before being given the 1A position.
Not all goalies have to toil as a back-up for a few seasons while slowly increasing their workload. Maybe Rittich isn't our guy either, but Mike Smith certainly isn't either.