Put away any thoughts in your mind that a second Richards would be bought out in this offseason.
The Kings and Dean Lombardi have stated that.
they will not be buying out Mike Richards' contract
This news comes as no surprise really, as the Kings have been an incredibly successful team in recent years much in part to the center depth that includes No. 10.
However, despite the accolades, Richards is not nearly the player he was four to five years ago. He also has a pretty beefy $5.75MM annual cap hit. After turning in back to back 30 goal seasons in '08-'09 and '09-'10, Richards has failed to crack the 20 goal mark in a King uniform. His highest point total came the year the Kings picked him up in 2011-2012 when he had 18 goals and 44 points.
In his early 20's with the Flyers, Richards was a scoring machine it seemed. From 2007 through to 2011, Richards accumulated 283 points and 112 goals in 315 games. That's a PPG pace of 0.89 and a goal pace of 0.35. Since joining the Kings though, Richards hasn't been able to come close to those numbers that made him one of the best two-way center options in the league.
As a member of the Kings, Richards has seen his ppg total fall to a meager 0.57 while his goal scoring frequency has also fallen to a 0.20. At age 29, Lombardi and Richards both know he should be better. Probably the best quote in the whole
LA Times piece by Lisa Dillman came from Lombardi in regards to Richard's age and preparation.
"He’s 29. In his prime. So it’s not as though the dropoff should be related to age. But players need to realize when you start getting 27, 28 -- you can’t train, can’t prepare like you use to when you were 22 or 23."
Lombardi followed that up with this
The most important thing is he realized he wasn’t anywhere near where he is capable of being. If he’s telling you, ‘Well, I was good.’ Then you’ve got a big problem. If he’s not able to critique himself, then we’re wasting our time...But he freely admitted that it was nowhere near where he was capable, and the root is not age or injury.
Take that however you like, be it positive or negative.
The negative side of it? Well Richards hasn't been preparing the right way, he hasn't been focused, he hasn't been as good as possible, he isn't worth what we are paying him.
That's if you want to really be negative over it.
Here's the positive though. Mike Richards hasn't been Mike Richards...AND HE KNOWS IT. Mike Richards hasn't been Mike Richards and the Kings have won two cups. Could anyone imagine what the Kings would look like next year if Mike Richards stepped back into the 2007-2011 form Mike Richards? You think the Kings are scary now? Oof, look out. I think that's the Richards the Kings envisioned when they traded away very valuable assets to the Flyers in Wayne Simmonds, Brayden Schenn, and a 2nd round pick (Devin Shore).
The first year or so you could chock up to a different defensive scheme, a new team, a new surroundings, new teammates, or a new coaching staff. The excuses for his dip in play were somewhat reasonable. Now, however, we are nearly three years removed from what was considered a blockbuster trade that rocked the hockey world...and it honestly hasn't lived up to what it was thought to be.
However, as Lombardi stated Richards is only 29. He also has six more years on his contract with the Kings. That's plenty of time for him to find his form and become the player they thought they were getting.
I don't think anyone can forget plays like "The Shift" that made him so loved in Philly for his hard-working style.
This move by the Kings is exactly what they need to do with Richards. With the option of compliance buyouts hanging around for this final offseason, the Kings could have very easily said, "Thank you very much, good luck out there." and cut ties with the struggling centerman. However, the idea that Lombardi sat down with Richards and told him "I know you can be better" sends the right message to No. 10 that there still is belief from higher up that he can be the player he once was.
We've seen the New York Rangers cut ties with Brad Richards already this offseason, and we've seen several other teams use compliance buyouts with high profile players like Briere, Lecavalier, Komisarek, and DiPietro. Mike Richards will not be amongst those players.
Richards still has value as a solid 2nd/3rd line center on basically any team in the league at this point. Why cut ties and buy him out now? If he struggles again Lombardi and co. always have the option of trading him if need be in the future. If he improves his play then great, it worked and you have the Mike Richards of old. Time will tell. Yes, there will be potential cap implications in the future with his contract, but I am confident the Kings can work with the money they are paying him and still retain an outstanding amount of quality players. Honestly, in this day and age a $5.75 hit isn't looking that detrimental to a roster.
For now though, embrace Mike Richards. He is a King. He has won as a King and been an important part of the team. Maybe not as important as previously thought, but he still has been a major reason why this team has been a terror to deal with down the center for the last three years. Maybe he gets back to his previous form, maybe he caps out where he is right now and we forever ask "What if." But hey, the Kings have two cups in two of the three years with Richards on the team so it's kind of hard to play that "What if" game anyways. Either way, Mike Richards is going nowhere.
So let's put all that chatter to rest.
Agree with the move? Disagree? Let's hear it.
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