The Predators will be without goaltender David Rittich for tonight’s game against Carolina as the team announced that they have placed him in COVID protocol. Connor Ingram has been recalled from AHL Milwaukee in his place.
Rittich is in his first season with Nashville and hasn’t yet made his regular season debut with the team, serving as the backup to Juuse Saros in their season-opening loss to Seattle. He had a 2.86 GAA along with a .901 SV% in 19 games last season between Calgary and Toronto which led the Preds to sign him to a one-year, $1.25MM contract this summer.
That meant that Ingram, who has been viewed at times as a possible backup of the future, would have to start in the minors again this season and he cleared waivers earlier this month. He was limited to just five AHL games last season after being in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program but before that, he was one of the top netminders in that league in 2017-18 and 2018-19 before being even better in AHL Milwaukee after being acquired, posting a 1.92 GAA with a .933 SV% in 33 games in 2019-20.
The Preds season should be put in a protocal. :/
a full season quarantine should do the trick