David Rittich Could Stablize Wild's Precarious Goaltending Situation

With the NHL postseason done and dusted in Minnesota, the front office will focus on improving the team to avoid another first-round exit. Bill Guerin has confirmed that the team's priorities will be getting Kirill Kaprizov re-signed and bringing in help at forward and center. While sorting out the forward group is Minnesota’s most crucial order of business, the team could also use some help in the net. 

That's where a veteran goaltender like David Rittich could help.

At first glance, the Wild are set at the goaltender position. Filip Gustavsson had an excellent year, and the arrival of highly vaunted prospect Jesper Wallstedt is on the horizon. Minnesota also has a potentially promising option in the future, with Samuel Hlavaj breaking out as a prospect. 

The Wild should be strong in net down the line, but they could use an insurance policy next season. Gustavsson is currently the team's most experienced goaltender and will only be 27 years old next season. The team already relies on him more than the average team. He made 58 starts this season, while the average number of starts for a goaltender among teams still in the playoffs is roughly 46. 

Minnesota would be wise to give Gustavsson a bit more rest, but it will be difficult to do so with a developing goaltender as his only backup. Wallstedt is promising, but he had a .879 save percentage last season in Iowa. The organization expects that's just a blip in the road, but what if he has another rough season? What happens if Wallstedt or Gustavsson gets hurt? 

That's where a goaltender like David Rittich comes in. He'd be the team's most experienced goaltender, with 230 NHL games. He's cost-effective, with his last contract worth just $1 million for one year. Rittich also has a serviceable career .904 save percentage. He's also versatile throughout the lineup. He's primarily been a backup in recent years but has started as many as 48 games in the past. 

He can even produce spectacular results when given the right conditions and a small workload. Big Save Dave was arguably the Los Angeles Kings' strongest goaltender in 2023-24.

Of course, you'll find some warts whenever you're bargain shopping for a veteran backup goaltender. He's been inconsistent throughout his career and had his worst year as a professional last season. The Kings gave him 31 starts, his most since 2019-20, and it didn't end well for the Czech goaltender. He logged a .886 save percentage, and his metrics didn't look better.

Rittich's goals saved above expected ranked seventh-worst in the league among goalies who played more than 20 games, and his save percentage was the worst of his career in any season that he's played more than 20 games. His previous low mark was .901 in 2022-23. 

Rittich is best used as a backup or in a three-goalie system at this stage in his career. Fortunately for the Wild, that’s what they need. If things go wrong, Rittich is an insurance policy. Still, Gustavsson could have another great season, and Jesper Wallstedt could rebound and turn into the goalie Minnesota expects him to be. 

Many veteran backup goaltenders are looking for an opportunity to play more games and prove they can still play significant minutes in the NHL. If Gustavsson and Wallstedt play well, that opportunity won't exist. That alone may keep the Wild out of conversations for the cream-of-the-crop veteran backstops like Alex Lyon or Jake Allen. 

Instead, the team is primed to be a perfect landing spot for a player like Rittich. After a down year, the goaltender will be looking to prove he can still be a valuable part of an organization. He can come into the organization and provide some experience. Rittich can play NHL games if the team needs him to. He can also offer the option to mentor the young goaltenders in Iowa if they don't. He is already comfortable playing the AHL, having made 16 starts for the Ontario Reign in 2023-24. 

Another important aspect of that balancing act is whether a team can completely bury a player's contract in the AHL. The amount of money a team can bury in the AHL without it costing them any cap penalties is the league minimum salary plus $375,000. 

In 2025-26, the league minimum salary is $775,000, so any contract worth under $1.15 million can be assigned to the AHL without a penalty against the cap. If the Wild gives Rittich the same contract he received in Los Angeles (one year for $1 million), it's essentially a zero-risk deal for the Wild. If he doesn't work out or isn't needed in Minnesota, he can play in Iowa. 

Rittich's 2024-25 campaign is a slight cause for concern, but given that it's essentially a no-risk proposition, the Wild would be making a smart bet that he'll return to form next season. Returning to form isn't excellent by any means. He isn't an all-star-level goalie anymore, but Minnesota doesn't need him to be. It would be a wise investment if he could provide some veteran leadership and be serviceable in spot starts. 

Minnesota has a lot of business to do this offseason. While there are much more critical things on the docket, the team is a Gustavsson injury away from having real issues in the net. The Wild would serve themselves well in figuring out an insurance policy sooner rather than later.