David Rittich

Big Save Dave had a career year in L.A., despite shuttling between the big club and AHL Ontario. He appeared in 24 NHL games and put up a sizzling 2.15 GAA and .915 save percentage. Rittich even delivered three shutouts in his 16-6-3 record, and he started two playoff games against the Oilers. He's proof positive that the Kings' defense-first system can make ordinary look special. Expect 25-plus games and strong ratios this season, and that's more than solid for streaming in daily formats.

Rittich served as backup to Connor Hellebuyck with the Jets in 2022-23, but he returned mediocre results for a third year in a row with a .267 GAA and a .901 save percentage in 21 appearances. He had to settle for a one-year deal with the Kings, where he projects to be a No. 3 goalie behind Cam Talbot and Pheonix Copley. Given Talbot's age and Copley's limited track record, Rittich could still find himself with a decent share of playing time, but it's far from guaranteed.

Serving as the backup to workhorse starter Juuse Saros, Rittich appeared in just 17 games in his lone season in Nashville. He won just six of them, to go along with a 3.57 GAA and .886 save percentage. Rittich's poor effort resulted in him accepting a one-year, $900,000 deal to move to WInnipeg to serve as the understudy to Connor Hellebuyck, who is coming off the worst year of his career. Hellebuyck will be looking to re-establish himself as one of the league's top goaltenders, so Rittich again figures to see minimal playing time with his new club.

Rittich got an extended look as Calgary's starting goaltender from 2018-19 to 2019-20, but the Flames weren't satisfied with the results and decided to ink Jacob Markstrom to a long-term deal in the summer of 2020, relegating Rittich to backup status once again. He played just 19 games a season ago, posting a dreadful 5-8-2 record in addition to a 2.86 GAA and a .901 save percentage. Rittich left Calgary as an unrestricted free agent this past summer, signing a one-year deal with Nashville to serve as the backup for Juuse Saros. Rittich will have minimal fantasy value as long as Saros, one of the top young goalies in the league, remains healthy.

Rittich was unable to emerge as the clear starter in Calgary in 2019-20, making 48 appearances while posting a 24-17-6 record, a 2.97 GAA and a .907 save percentage. He frequently lost playing time to Cam Talbot, most notably in the playoffs. With Talbot signing in Minnesota as a free agent, the Flames signed Jacob Markstrom to a six-year contract this offseason, which will greatly limit Rittich's ability to get consistent playing time. Markstrom does carry some injury risk , so Rittich may get one or two stretches of regular starting work, but he should be valued as a backup heading into 2020-21.

Rittich had his first taste of a starting role in 2018-19, snagging the job from Mike Smith in the fall before a knee injury hampered the last four months of his season. Rittich appeared in 45 games, going 27-9-5 with a 2.61 GAA and a .911 save percentage. He'll almost certainly have the starting job to begin the season, but free-agent signing Cam Talbot was brought in to ensure Rittich's competitive edge remains sharp. Even though he's probably best suited as a 1A, Rittich will be expected to carry more of the load this season. Fantasy owners can expect the 26-year-old to make 50-55 starts while hovering around the league average in ratios. A young Flames defense corps which boasts a couple of sturdy veterans should mitigate most of the damage on the scoresheet should Rittich take a step back this year.

Heading into the 2018-19 season, Rittich has a strong chance to win the backup job as the primary backup to Mike Smith in Calgary. While American prospect Jon Gillies figures to compete with Rittich for the No. 2 spot, the Czech-born netminder does have a slight leg up, possessing more NHL experience than his main competitor. A stocky goalie who takes up a lot of real estate in the cage at 6-foot-3, 202 pounds, Rittich appeared in 21 games with the Flames last season, recording a 2.92 GAA and .904 save percentage before an arbiter awarded him a one-year, $800,000 deal this offseason. Whether Rittich spends more of his time with the NHL or AHL team, he's unlikely to get enough starts to warrant much fantasy attention, especially if Mike Smith stays healthy.