Kings sign Rittich to one-year, $1 million extension

Rittich, 31, was a pending unrestricted free agent after the conclusion of his one-year, $875,000 contract this season, and had been eligible for an extension since January 1st. The details of the contract are not official, so it’s unclear on if there are any signing or performance bonuses or any clauses that come with the deal. His contract will take up 1.14% of next season’s salary cap based on CapFriendly’s current projections.

Rittich’s new contract will see him get a $125,000 raise in his AAV, and it will be the first time he has made seven figures in a contract since his one-year, $1.25 million contract that he signed with the Nashville Predators for the 2021-22 season. His closest cap hit comparable is Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Arvid Soderblom.

Rittich spent the 2023-24 season with the Kings in a tandem role with Cam Talbot, mostly in a backup role, but he did find himself getting a lot of the starts in January and February. He finished the year with a 13-6-3 record, a .921% save percentage, three shutouts and a 18.34 5v5 goals saved above expected, with the latter stat being the 11th-best total in the league.

Rittich also got into two playoff games for the Kings this season, as he was given the start in the final two games of their series against the Edmonton Oilers. He was 0-2-0 with an .872% save% and a -0.28 5v5 goals saved above expected in those two games as the Kings were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in five games by the Oilers.

Rittich was originally an undrafted free agent signing by the Calgary Flames in 2016, making his NHL debut that following season as part of five seasons with the Flames. After he was dealt to the Toronto Maple Leafs at the 2021 trade deadline, he spent a couple seasons signing one-year deals to play as a backup goalie for the Predators and the Winnipeg Jets before signing with the Kings in the 2023 offseason.