Toronto Maple Leafs place Nick Ritchie on waivers

The Toronto Maple Leafs have placed forward Nick Ritchie on waivers.

Ritchie, 26, has appeared in 30 games for the Leafs this year scoring one goal and adding seven assists. Averaging 12:14 of ice-time, Ritchie has been a decent depth piece for Toronto this year.

The on-ice results just haven’t quite been there. With him on the ice at 5×5, the Leafs have controlled 51.12 percent of the shot attempts, and 48.97 percent of the expected goals. But his goals for and against have struggled. At 5×5, the Leafs have scored seven goals with him on the ice and allowed 12 — just not good enough.

The Leafs as a whole are getting healthy for the first time all season and Ritchie was a clear man out so this move makes sense.

Ritchie was signed this past offseason by Toronto to a two-year, $2.5-million deal, a homecoming of sort for the native of Orangeville, Ont.

Over the course of his NHL career, Ritchie has appeared in 380 NHL games scoring 60 goals and 145 points. If he clears waivers, he should be a strong addition to the Toronto Marlies. Over Ritchie’s career, he’s scored 30 points in 38 AHL games.

Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@oilersnation.com.