Winnipeg Jets sign David Rittich to one-year contract

The Winnipeg Jets have signed goaltender David Rittich to a one-year contract carrying a $900,000 cap hit, according to a report by TSN’s Darren Dreger.

Rittich, 29, posted a 6–3–4 record and an .886 save percentage in 17 games with the Nashville Predators during the 2021–22 regular season. He allowed five goals on 13 shots in 15 minutes of action with the Preds during the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

An undrafted player out of Jihavla, Czechia, Rittich signed with the Calgary Flames as a free agent in 2016. He spent parts of five seasons with the Flames, peaking in 2018–19 with a 27–9–5 record and a .911 save percentage in 45 games.

The Flames traded Rittich to the Toronto Maple Leafs at the 2021 trade deadline. After making four appearances in the blue and white, he signed a one-year deal with Nashville last summer.

In 151 career regular-season appearances with Calgary, Toronto, and Nashville, Rittich has posted a 70–43–20 record, four shutouts, and a .905 save percentage.

The Jets now have two goaltenders with National Hockey League experience under contract for 2022–23: Rittich and Connor Hellebuyck. The 2020 Vezina Trophy winner, Hellebuyck went 29–27–10 in 2021–22 to go along with four shutouts and a .910 save percentage.

Winnipeg ended the 2021–22 season in sixth place in the Central Division with a 39–32–11 record.