Brett Ritchie, why?

[Knightslayer]

Originally Posted by Sofa GM

Out of the 4 of those players Ritchie should be odd man out followed by Pitlick. Richardson is an upgrade on all of them when healthy. Looch is looking awful in his first 4 games

Who should replace them?

[BigRed]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

I think some of you are in for a surprise when Pitlick gets up to game speed. He is a very good defensive forward.

But isn't he hugely injury prone? Feels like we won't be able to rely on him.

The mystery of the bottom 6 winger is always a tough one. The top 6 is so expensive these days that you're always scraping for reclamation projects and dregs to fill in. Ideal world, we'd have some energetic kids not quite ready to make the jump but who could handle sheltered minutes and inject some speed. We don't have that.

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by Knightslayer

Disagree.

Who does Mike Gould think should replace them? Philips? Who looked awful in pre season and has the body of a 12 year old?

I'd look to the trade market, frankly. Let Pelletier-Ruzicka-Phillips keep tearing it up in Stockton. I might also recall Walker Duehr.

[Knightslayer]

Originally Posted by Bingo

Ritchie is fine as a 12th guy/fourth line forward.

But the big issue now is the lines themselves ... seems like they are trying to create three 3rd lines instead of a 2nd, 3rd and 4th.

I think the way the lines are constructed they're not getting the most out of any of Coleman, Monahan, Dube or Mangiapane.

Honestly makes no sense to me.

So yeah I'd say Ritchie is playing too far up the lineup but I don't even know where in the lineup he's playing

He played 7:42 last game and hasn't played more than 11 minutes in any game this year.

He is playing as a 12th forward 4th liner.

[Knightslayer]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

I'd look to the trade market, frankly. Let Pelletier-Ruzicka-Phillips keep tearing it up in Stockton. I might also recall Walker Duehr.

Who would you trade for these NHLers that other teams will want to give you? Futures? Walker Duer makes sense but really don't see him as a huge upgrade on any one of those 4 guys.

[TheScorpion]

I'd look at moving futures for top-six forwards from struggling/rebuilding teams. Dylan Strome would be interesting.

[Knightslayer]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

I'd look at moving futures for top-six forwards from struggling/rebuilding teams. Dylan Strome would be interesting.

But I don't see how that brings out 3rd and 4th liners out of the lineup.

[blankall]

Originally Posted by GranteedEV

This honestly may be the least deep roster we've had since 2017-ish.

And yet I think I have more optimism than most of those years because we have a real coach.

I really disagree with this. The Flames have a legit top line with three legit top line level talents. They have Backlund, Mangiapane, Dube, Monahan, and Coleman behind them.

The fact we need to make threads complaining about our 4th line forwards shows how deep this team is.

Even on defence the team is crazy deep. I'd say the only major hole is the top end L defence. I like Hanifin but he's not a true #1.

[GioforPM]

Dylan Strome makes $3M, so you’d have to get retention. But he also wants to play centre. You think he’s going to add offence from 4C?

[Knightslayer]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

Dylan Strome makes $3M, so you’d have to get retention. But he also wants to play centre. You think he’s going to add offence from 4C?

And besides, he has looked checked out for a while now.

[Sofa GM]

Originally Posted by Knightslayer

Who should replace them?

There have been far more competent free agents signed prior to the season that would be a massive upgrade on Ritchie, Lewis and Richardson…….Derek Ryan says hello……

[Knightslayer]

Originally Posted by Sofa GM

There have been far more competent free agents signed prior to the season that would be a massive upgrade on Ritchie, Lewis and Richardson…….Derek Ryan says hello……

Well that's the past. I agree that Treliving has failed miserably with some signings of these guys but he made the bed and now we are laying in it.

But we can't just scratch 4 guys and have no plans to replace them in the lineup.

Also, Derek Ryan needed to go. You can't have that many small players on one team.

[Kovaz]

I'm totally fine with Pitlick at 3RW, Lewis at 4RW, and Lucic at 4LW. The problem is Ritchie playing up in the lineup, IMO he's a 13th forward. It could also be a temporary problem. If you assume Monahan gets up to speed and can settle back into a middle-6 C role, push Dube back to the wing, and you end with something like:


Gaudreau-Lindhom-Tkachuk
Dube-Monahan-Coleman
Mangiapane-Backlund-Pitlick


To me that top 9 is totally fine, nobody's slotted above what they're capable of. Only thing I don't like after that is a 4th line of Lucic-Lewis-Ritchie - it could really use an injection of youth (like a Ferland/Mangiapane/Hathaway in years past), or a more solid 4C (a Stajan or Ryan type). But IMO if you can build a 4th line that's not a defensive liability, that top-9 looks solid enough to win to me.

[dino7c]

Pitlick has played 2 games, both wins...he is a good player

I think some of you need to actually look at some rosters around the league

[Sofa GM]

Originally Posted by Kovaz

I'm totally fine with Pitlick at 3RW, Lewis at 4RW, and Lucic at 4LW. The problem is Ritchie playing up in the lineup, IMO he's a 13th forward. It could also be a temporary problem. If you assume Monahan gets up to speed and can settle back into a middle-6 C role, push Dube back to the wing, and you end with something like:


Gaudreau-Lindhom-Tkachuk
Dube-Monahan-Coleman
Mangiapane-Backlund-Pitlick


To me that top 9 is totally fine, nobody's slotted above what they're capable of. Only thing I don't like after that is a 4th line of Lucic-Lewis-Ritchie - it could really use an injection of youth (like a Ferland/Mangiapane/Hathaway in years past), or a more solid 4C (a Stajan or Ryan type). But IMO if you can build a 4th line that's not a defensive liability, that top-9 looks solid enough to win to me.

No way Mangiapane is a 3rd liner, could see

Gaudreau-Lindholm-Tkachuk
Mangiapane-Monahan-Dube
Coleman-Backlund-Pitlick/Lucic

[Sylvanfan]

Going to be tough for the Flames to ice a lineup where 2 of Pitlick, Lucic, Lewis, and Ritchie are not in the lineup.

I think Monahan is the key piece in the top 9. Ideally the team needs him to get back to being a 25 goal and 50 point guy who can play decent competition at center and play on a line with Mangiapane and Coleman in matchups where most nights, they play superior players. If he can't than you have to give that job to Backlund, and hope Monahan with Dube and Pitlick could win 3rd line matchups.

But as guys get into the lineup and up to speed, there is a bit of mixing of lines that is resulting in guys like Coleman, and Mangiapane not being able to be used to what they could be so far.

I don't think Ritchie has been that bad, especially when deployed on a 4th line. But with the line mixing he's no better playing with better players on a higher lineup than he was with Lewis and Gawdin on a true 4th line. I would have preferred to keep Derek Ryan for that contract as that extra expansion draft forward over Ritchie myself as he's a bit more versatile to move into the top 9, and can play multiple positions too. But who knows if Ryan had any interest or if the Flames wanted another small player taking a spot.

[GioforPM]

FWIW, Tyler Pitlick and Dylan Strome were a whopping 6 points apart last year (Strome played 2 more games). Pitlick makes half of what Strome makes.

[GioforPM]

It would have been nice to keep Ryan - I liked him. But a reminder that a lot of people sure disliked him being signed. He had to grow on people and I suggest that one or all of Lewis, Pitlick and Richardson may just do that as well.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

FWIW, Tyler Pitlick and Dylan Strome were a whopping 6 points apart last year (Strome played 2 more games). Pitlick makes half of what Strome makes.

and is far better in his own end

its actually super annoying some fans aren't even giving players a chance

[bigrangy]

Bumping this thread now because there’s very little to complain about

4 months later, Ritchie still doesn’t have a point

Why does this guy get NHL minutes? I’m sure he’s a great dude but not only is he terrible at hockey, he makes everyone that plays with him terrible at hockey. Dubé and Monahan are not this bad.

The Flames have some big needs to get some secondary impact scoring and maybe some more dynamic play from the back end, but they could at least stop slowly bleeding themselves to death by playing literally anyone else (well, maybe not Pitlick or Richardson) in Ritchie’s place.

Good teams can win a matchup with each of their lines but playing Ritchie is losing the matchup before it even starts.