Rittich contract

[BigRed]

Yeah, I know, it's a downer. But we haven't had a goalie this promising since Kiprusoff. It's a small sample size but the Flames have to be thinking extension ASAP.

Rittich expires after next season and is a UFA. Currently being paid 2.75. Turns 28 in August. Gibson makes 6.4, Hellyebuck 6.1 (decent comparables), while Bobrovosky, of course, makes 10.

What's the magic number for him? 6 years, AAV 6.5? 7? Remember he's a UFA, so he can go to the highest bidder. Which sucks.

[Erick Estrada]

He's under contract for next season so there's really no need to be getting worried about retaining him. Lots can change with goaltenders which makes them risky propositions to sign long term.

[BigRed]

Sure, there's a chance he's peaked and will regress. Maybe his side is willing to build that into their ask for an extension now as opposed to in a year.

[kukkudo]

Lets make the playoffs first before we sign him to a 6 year 6.5 AAV.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by BigRed

Sure, there's a chance he's peaked and will regress. Maybe his side is willing to build that into their ask for an extension now as opposed to in a year.

The Flames cannot even begin talking to Rittich about an extension until 1 July at the earliest. This is a discussion that really has no direction before at least then.

[BigRed]

Originally Posted by kukkudo

Lets make the playoffs first before we sign him to a 6 year 6.5 AAV.

I think the point is, without Rittich's heroics so far this year, we're not even in the conversation for the playoffs anymore. For the first time in a really long time, goaltending has not been the problem.

Rittich's an obvious talent. But he's in his late 20s. I'm just wondering about how his unique situation might translate into dollars. I bet he is too ...

[Blaster86]

The guy has shown to wilt when playing starting goalie minutes. What ever you pay him, you have to make sure you have another goalie who you can ride for a week or two stretch to allow Rittich to recharge.

Originally Posted by BigRed

For the first time in a really long time, goaltending has not been the problem.

Except for when it has been. Rittich has cost the team at least 6 points in a very short stretch before the net got given to Talbot for a week or so

[Reggie Dunlop]

Miikka Kiprusoff was 27 when the Flames acquired him.

[Caged Great]

I don't see how he makes north of 4.5 unless he wins the cup and is one of the more important reasons for that happening.

[tvp2003]

Well, he's not a UFA until July 1, 2021, so he'll have to wait until then if he wants to hold out for the highest bidder. And something tells me he'd prefer to stay here as long as the money is reasonable (after you factor in the Treliving/Harvey the Hound discount).

P.S. Hellebuyck got his deal after posting 44 wins, being a Vezina finalist, and going to the third round of the playoffs. Rittich has a ways to go before he can pull that kind of leverage. Meanwhile, Gibson had three seasons of VERY good starter numbers before he signed his most recent extension. You can debate UFA vs RFA, but the body of work is not comparable yet.

[Erick Estrada]

Good article in the Athletic that goes on about why teams shouldn't roll up the Brinks trucks for goaltenders. If you really look at the numbers it's the one position in the NHL where teams aren't getting what they are paying for.

https://theathletic.com/1533664/2020...r-for-goalies/

I don't believe you just let your best goaltender walk when he's up for contract renewal but a GM needs to have some restraint when it comes to allocating money and term to the position.

[TheScorpion]

I think Rittich is probably in line for a 4- or 5-year deal at around $4.5-$5 million per season.

[BigRed]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

I think Rittich is probably in line for a 4- or 5-year deal at around $4.5-$5 million per season.

Here's hoping. Easy to get excited about the guy, but his body of work remains small. It's a bit of a shell game -- maybe you can get him on an extension at 4.5 now; but if he has another all-star season next year, maybe not. He could also crap the bed, but in the end, we've had 4.5 mln backups before ...

[BigRed]

Originally Posted by Blaster86

Rittich has cost the team at least 6 points in a very short stretch before the net got given to Talbot for a week or so

Is any goalie money 100 -- or even 90 -- percent of the time? Kirprusoff had lots of slumps and off nights. Fact remains that the Flames are 10-12 points lighter without Rittich this year.

[Reggie Dunlop]

Yeah, I'd kick this can down the road.

[theslymonkey]

I think Tre should re-sign Talbot for 2 years to apply some pressure. If he keeps staggering his tandem it reduces the power that either goalie holds in negotiation.

[Elkyiv]

Would anyone mind if he got the Koskinen deal? I don't think I would if he continues playing like this.

[The Yen Man]

It really depends on how the rest of this season plays out. I would think we'd have a clearer picture this summer.

I suspect the contract is going to be similar to what Scorpion stated. A bit longer term (5 years) at 4.0M - 4.5M.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Blaster86

The guy has shown to wilt when playing starting goalie minutes. What ever you pay him, you have to make sure you have another goalie who you can ride for a week or two stretch to allow Rittich to recharge.





Except for when it has been. Rittich has cost the team at least 6 points in a very short stretch before the net got given to Talbot for a week or so

because he has had 3 bad games this season lol

Every goalie has a bad week or two

[BigRed]

Originally Posted by Elkyiv

Would anyone mind if he got the Koskinen deal? I don't think I would if he continues playing like this.

Rittich is almost 4 years younger, which will be a factor I'd think.