But when trying to prove to the Blues that he deserves a contract for the 2023-24 season, he made a mistake that earned him a game misconduct, which ended his night early.
During the second period of Tuesday's game between the Blues and Columbus Blue Jackets, Ritchie dropped the mitts with Josh Dunne. Ritchie got the better of Dunne, landing several strong blows, but at the end of the tilt, his jersey and shoulder pads came completely off, revealing that he didn't tie down his fight strap. Because his fight strap was not tied down, not only did Ritchie receive a five-minute major for dropping the gloves, he was also handed a game misconduct.
It's safe to say that next time Nick Ritchie suits up for the St. Louis Blues this preseason, the first thing he'll do before hitting the ice is tying down his fight strap in order to avoid this situation again.