Calum Ritchie

ANALYSIS
Ritchie made his seventh appearance of the 2024-25 campaign in Colorado's 3-2 win over Seattle on Tuesday, and this will count as the first year of his entry-level contract if he draws into the lineup for at least 10 games. For that reason, the Avalanche will likely decide soon if it's worth keeping him with the squad. If he continues to play, then that critical 10th outing would come Monday, but it's important to remember that the measurement is how many games Ritchie actually dresses for, so the Avalanche can delay the deadline by making him a healthy scratch. However, the 19-year-old would likely benefit the most from logging big minutes, so putting him in the press box for any significant amount of time might prove counterproductive. It wouldn't be surprising to see the Avalanche ultimately send him to Oshawa -- although he logged 16:05 of ice time in his NHL debut Oct. 9, his role has declined, and he received a career-low 7:14 on Tuesday.