Thanksgiving will be fun in the Ritchie household this year.
Brothers Nick and Brett were traded for each other as part of a four-player swap between the Calgary Flames and Arizona Coyotes minutes before Friday’s trade deadline. It was the first time two brothers had ever been traded for each other in NHL history.
The trade sees Brett and defenceman Connor Mackey go from Calgary to Arizona, while younger brother Nick and defenceman Troy Stecher will end up on the Flames.
“It leaked out, so they were laughing by the time we called them,” Flames general manager Brad Treliving said of the brotherly deal. “First time for everything. It’s a little unique. I had a little chuckle with both of them when we were talking.”
Nick Ritchie joins the Flames after spending parts of two seasons in Arizona, following half a season with the Toronto Maple Leafs and runs in Boston and Anaheim.
The big-bodied winger’s best season came in 2020-21 for the Bruins, when he put up 15 goals and 26 points through 56 games for Boston.
Brett Ritchie has six goals and eight points in 34 games this season.
Stecher, a Richmond, B.C., native, returns north after a three-year run that saw him suit up for the Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings and Arizona Coyotes. Before that, Stecher spent four seasons with the Vancouver Canucks.
An undersized but tenacious blue-liner, the 28-year-old’s best seasons came during his early years in Vancouver, where he collected 75 points over 286 games. He’ll join a Calgary defence corps that’s looked in need of bolstering, particularly given the loss of breakout star Oliver Kylington, who’s been away from the team this season while attending to a personal matter.
Treliving said Friday that the Flames do not expect Kylington back this season.
Both new members of the Flames are set to be unrestricted free agents at the end of the 2022-23 season, Ritchie playing out the final season of a two-year, $5-million deal, while Stecher is playing out a one-year, $1.25-million deal.