A former top draft pick just got dumped by his team!
The Toronto Maple Leafs have placed forward Nick Ritchie's name on waivers.
Ritchie, 26, simply did not meet the expectations placed on him in Toronto. He had only eight points, including one goal, in 30 games.
Yet, he was given the opportunity to shine as he was often used alongside Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner on the first line. The Leafs had high hopes for him after his good season last year with the Boston Bruins, but he was a disappointment.
Kyle Dubas gave him a nice vote of confidence by offering him a two season contract worth $2.5 million annually. However, he failed to reciprocate.
The 236-pound behemoth was the 10th overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft by the Anaheim Ducks.
He has 145 points in 380 NHL games so far with the Ducks, Bruins and Maple Leafs.
In my opinion, there's no way the Habs would go for it, considering Jeff Gorton advocates talented and fast teams. Ritchie is known for disrupting opposing goalies by getting his butt in front of them.
If I were Jeff Gorton, I'd pass!
