Mike Richards was discussed quite a bit in the last posting right here, so it felt fitting to put a stamp on his overall season. There is also a funny thing that happens when you compare Stoll and Richards, who overall had fairly similar seasons.
Mike Richards #10 Age: 29 Contract Status: $5.75MM AAV through 2019-2020
Stats:
Other stats:
Corsi on: 11.61 Corsi relative: -4.1 Shooting percentage: 7.0% (Career 11%) PDO (On-ice Sh% + On-ice Sv%) - 974 (lowest on the team behind Trevor Lewis. 1000 is considered even)
His Season:
We pretty much covered the bases with Richards in the last posting. However, they basic jist of it was the Kings are paying too much to Richards for him to be settled into a 4th line role. He is a good player still and showed flashes of his utility all season. 41 points isn't anything to scoff at in the NHL but it isn't what the Kings were hoping for, or even Mike Richards himself may have been hoping for in terms of production. He barely broke double digits in goals, and he was almost entirely shut down in the postseason with so many top lines gunning for he and his linemates. While his offense wasn't there really, Richards still kills penalties and gives the Kings a noted depth down the center that makes them tough to match up with. He is a piece of a successful puzzle, even though he is turning into a somewhat smaller piece than anticipated. Rick was also quite strong at the faceoff dot this year, finishing close to 54% on the season.
Moving forward:
It's simple. He didn't get bought out and he needs to get better. That was a vote of confidence by the Kings and a statement that they still believe in him. During the whole "Richards isn't getting bought out" thing, there was mention by Lombardi that it was discussed that Richards needs to take his offseason training more seriously. Perhaps we see a new Mike Richards in 2014-15.
This season was a mixture of bad luck and lackluster play for me. The guy looked snake bitten at time, and other times he just didn't look all that great. I know he can be a tremendous player, and LA is still waiting for that almost three years removed from the trade.
Final Grade: C-
And now we get to Jarret Stoll, and here is what makes this interesting to me.
Jarret Stoll is a really really similar player to Mike Richards right now. Yet, I'm not going to beat on Jarret Stoll too much because I know what he is. I can't say the same thing for Mike Richards. Jarret Stoll is now 32, but when he was in his late 20's he too was scoring 40 points for the Kings...
Jarret Stoll #28 Age: 32 Contract status: $3.25MM AAV through 2014-15
Stats:
Other stats
Shooting % - 7.3 Faceoff % - 54.7 Corsi on - 11.53 Corsi rel - -4.2 Off. Zone start - 52.6%, lowest amongst forwards
His season:
Stoll was decent for what he was this year for the Kings. What is that? A low risk defensive oriented center. He didn't contribute a whole lot on the offensive side, but he was good on the penalty kill for the Kings and he gives you a decent amount of situational minutes and defensive zone draws. His prowess in the faceoff circle can't be overlooked as he was amongst the top in the league yet again this year. While Stoll does have a penchant for taking really bad penalties (led all forward in minors), he is a stalwart penalty killer. He doesn't seem to be the smartest player 5-on-5 at times, but you throw the guy on the penalty kill and he turns into Einstein. He was firmly planted upon the Kings 3rd line almost all year, and it was a welcome spot for him as he wasn't expected to score at a rampant pace nor was he expected to not contribute. Stoll in a nutshell really did his job. He also had a fairly strong postseason, and his line of Williams and King had stretches of games late in the playoffs where they absolutely took over. You get what you get with Stoll, and he was a serviceable 3rd line center yet again this year.
Moving forward:
When you look at Richards and Stoll, they are almost the same player. That doesn't spell good things for Jarret Stoll if he is to have a future in Los Angeles. The Kings are a loyal group, and it would be hard to part with the 32 year old Stoll after years of loyal service. However, Mike Richards is looking more and more like Jarret Stoll each day, and you can't have two of them when they both make a combined $9 Million dollars. Maybe Lombardi works some magic and figures out a way to talk Stoll into a league minimum to play 4C next year, but that doesn't seem likely. The similarities between the two players makes it a precarious situation for the Kings as Stoll fits more naturally into the 3C role, but if Richards struggles again and can't roll on 2C it might be the 4th line for Stolly or Richards. One thing Stoll can do on his own moving forward is stop doing is taking so many freaking penalties. One of your best penalty killers should not be spending more time in the box than in his Hermosa Beach beachhouse.
Stoll was a good role player for the Kings in many regards. From big faceoffs to penalty kills, he also peppered in the occasional goal. Mind you, the game is primarily played at even strength. But hee is a leader in the room and everyone seems to like good ol' Strollsy. His future really looks murky though when you look down the line at who is coming and possibly going and how much they are making. He is up for contract after this season so he might have to put a little extra oomph into this one this year. We shall see. For me, this wasn't a terrible year for 28. He did his job and he didn't really hurt the team overall.
Final Grade: B-
When you do these two reviews together you can see how the element of expectation changes the outcome of the season. While Stoll and Richards may have had similar seasons in many regards, the expectation of Richards still being Philadelphia Richards drives his grade down even more. IF Stoll were forever compared to his 68 point year in Edmonton than we might hear the same things. For many years we did. At this point though people understand what Jarret Stoll is and there is no element of unfulfilled expectation. Richards, to me, is at the tipping point of that sort of career defining moment. Is he going to come back around to the 60-70 point Richards? Or become the next Jarret Stoll?
Thank god I'm almost done with these. Is it the start of the season yet?
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