Bruins acquire Nick Ritchie, trade Danton Heinen at deadline

BOSTON — Three days after acquiring Ondrej Kase from Anaheim, the Boston Bruins made another trade with the Ducks, this time landing Nick Ritchie in exchange for Danton Heinen. Elliotte Friedman of Hockey Night in Canada was the first to break the news, which was later confirmed by the team.

Ritchie, 24, is in his fifth season in the NHL and currently has eight goals and 11 assists (19 points) in 41 games thus far this season. His current contract pays him just shy of $1.5 million per season for this year and next. He will become a restricted free agent in the 2021 offseason.

Similarly, Heinen is also signed through the end of next year, however his current deal is for $2.8 million each season. He too will be a restricted free agent in the same offseason as Ritchie.

Heinen currently has 22 points on seven goals and 15 assists in 58 games played this season. His last goal came on January 7 in a win against Nashville. Ritchie netted two goals in Anaheim’s overtime loss to the Las Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday. It was his first multi-goal game of the season.

The $1.3 million in expected cap relief for the Bruins comes in addition to the money saved from sending David Backes to Anaheim along with Axel Andersson and a 2020 first-round pick for Kase.

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Ritchie was drafted 10th overall in the 2014 NHL Draft, the same year that Heinen was taken in the 4th round (116 overall). Standing at 6-foot-2, 234 pounds, Ritchie brings a physical presence to Boston’s bottom-six forwards.

He is also the younger brother of Brett Ritchie, who the Bruins signed in the 2020 offseason to a one-year, $1 million deal before sending him to AHL Providence in January.

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