Ex-Flames goaltender David Rittich has been placed on waivers

The LA Kings placed former Calgary Flames goaltender David Rittich on waivers this afternoon.

Rittich, 31, made his NHL debut with the Flames during the 2016-17 season and played parts of four seasons with them. Though used as mainly a backup throughout those four seasons, he did have times where he was given a starter’s workload, most notably the 2019-20 season, where he served as the Flames’ number one over Cam Talbot until the playoffs began.

In total, Rittich played 130 regular season games with the Flames, during which time he managed a 2.83 goals against average (GAA) paired with a .908 save percentage (SV%) and a 63-39-15 record. He wound up being traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 2020-21 season in exchange for a third-round pick.

Rittich’s time with the Maple Leafs was short-lived, as he made just four appearances with them before departing in the offseason. He has since had stints with the Nashville Predators and Winnipeg Jets and was expected to be in the running for the Kings backup position this season after signing a one-year, $875,000 deal this summer.

Instead, the Kings have decided to go with a duo of Talbot and Pheonix Copley, while Rittich will serve as AHL depth in case of injury, assuming he clears. That said, a few teams out there could show interest in the Czech netminder, including the Tampa Bay Lightning, who are expected to be without Andrei Vasilevskiy for the first two months of the season.

During his time with the Flames, Rittich was a fan favourite thanks to his exuberant personality. He was given the nickname Big Save Dave by the fanbase and seemed to truly enjoy his time in Calgary. That said, any Flames fans hoping to see their team put a claim on him will be disappointed, as they simply have no room to bring in a goaltender with Jacob Markstrom, Dan Vladar, and Dustin Wolf already in the system.

You might also like:
• Flames roster is officially set for the 2023-24 season