Speculation: 2019-20 News/Rumors,Roster thread Post Deadline

[The Tikkanen]

The Kings operated like the Angels-we're going to sign great players it's just going to come at the dead end of their career when they are completely shot.

 

[Herby]

That is true, the Kings sure have picked up alot of veteran stars from other teams on the downside or end of their careers.
Larry Robinson, Jarome Iginla, Vincent Lecavalier, Ryan Smyth, Marian Gaborik , Jeremy Roenick, Kevin Stevens, Martin Straka, Mike Richards, Simon Gagne, Milan Lucic, Dion Phaneuf, Ilya Kovalchuk.

 

[KopitarFAN]

 

[KingsFan7824]

The Kings operated like the Angels-we're going to sign great players it's just going to come at the dead end of their career when they are completely shot.

That's usually when those guys are available though. You have to draft that great player. You're not realistically getting him from somewhere else when he's 22. We know the UFA market is a fool's paradise. Maybe once every generation you might get a real shot. What? The Oilers are looking to trade a 27 year old Gretzky? Ok. The only reason the Nordiques traded Lindros was because he didn't want to play for them, it took half a roster to get him to Philly, and they were one game further away from the Cup than the Kings ever were with Gretzky.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I forget what year it was but I distinctly remember as a teen being in hockey heaven seeing a series with Lemieux-Jagr vs. The Legion of Doom. It was like all my hockey cards were on the screen at once.

 

[KingsFan7824]

I forget what year it was but I distinctly remember as a teen being in hockey heaven seeing a series with Lemieux-Jagr vs. The Legion of Doom. It was like all my hockey cards were on the screen at once.

Looks like that would be 96-97, same year as the Kings getting Murray for Olczyk at the deadline. The series only lasted 5 games though, with Lemieux and Jagr basically the only guys that scored for Pittsburgh. Flyers get swept in the Final that year, with our boy T.Murray behind the bench. He was in Florida the following season.

What an odds and ends roster the Flyers had. Trent Klatt. Dale Hawerchuk in his last year. Shjon Podein. Joel Otto. Paul Coffey. Pat Falloon. John Druce. Kjell Samuelsson was somehow still playing. Michel Petit. Two future GMs in net with Garth Snow and Ron Hextall.

 

[AlphaBravo]

That's usually when those guys are available though. You have to draft that great player. You're not realistically getting him from somewhere else when he's 22. We know the UFA market is a fool's paradise. Maybe once every generation you might get a real shot. What? The Oilers are looking to trade a 27 year old Gretzky? Ok. The only reason the Nordiques traded Lindros was because he didn't want to play for them, it took half a roster to get him to Philly, and they were one game further away from the Cup than the Kings ever were with Gretzky.

This is definitely even more true in today's age. That said, my memory is hazy, but I recall there were a lot more blockbuster and big trades back in the 90s and early 2000s (i.e., pre-cap era). In today's world, you are right. Such trades involving young elite players are rare.

 

[Axl Rhoadz]

That is true, the Kings sure have picked up alot of veteran stars from other teams on the downside or end of their careers.
Larry Robinson, Jarome Iginla, Vincent Lecavalier, Ryan Smyth, Marian Gaborik , Jeremy Roenick, Kevin Stevens, Martin Straka, Mike Richards, Simon Gagne, Milan Lucic, Dion Phaneuf, Ilya Kovalchuk.

MIke Richards was 26 yrs old when the Kings acquired him and gave some damn solid play until concussions wrecked him.

 

[kilowatt]

That is true, the Kings sure have picked up alot of veteran stars from other teams on the downside or end of their careers.
Larry Robinson, Jarome Iginla, Vincent Lecavalier, Ryan Smyth, Marian Gaborik , Jeremy Roenick, Kevin Stevens, Martin Straka, Mike Richards, Simon Gagne, Milan Lucic, Dion Phaneuf, Ilya Kovalchuk.

A little unfair to lump Richards in with the rest of those acquisitions. Richards was in his prime (as was Carter) when Dean traded for him.

 

[bland]

A little unfair to lump Richards in with the rest of those acquisitions. Richards was in his prime (as was Carter) when Dean traded for him.

Nor Lucic and Gaborik. They and Richards were still top performers when acquired.

 

[johnjm22]

MIke Richards was 26 yrs old when the Kings acquired him and gave some damn solid play until concussions wrecked him.

He was definitely on the downside of his career.

Also, very overrated. Perhaps the most overrated player of his generation.

 

[HookKing]

He was definitely on the downside of his career.

Also, very overrated. Perhaps the most overrated player of his generation.

I wouldn't go that far but definitely overrated on this board.

 

[bland]

I don't think you two guys can correctly rate hockey players.

 

[HookKing]

I don't think you two guys can correctly rate hockey players.

I don't know about the other guy but I don't give a shit what you think.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

"on the downside" from an offensive production standpoint absolutely given he had 80 points in 79 games earlier in Philly

He still had a monster year in 2013 and was our best forward in the 2013 playoffs until Bolland gave him the killshot for his career.

But it must be miserable going back through and auditing guys who sucked during the championship years.

 

[Statto]

"on the downside" from an offensive production standpoint absolutely given he had 80 points in 79 games earlier in Philly

He still had a monster year in 2013 and was our best forward in the 2013 playoffs until Bolland gave him the killshot for his career.

But it must be miserable going back through and auditing guys who sucked during the championship years.

His pre-concussion play can be debated in terms of offensive production but Kings hockey was never going to result in a career year. However, his impact on the wider roster with the considerable set of intangibles he brought cannot be debated. No Richards, no cup.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Richards was 4th on the Kings in playoff scoring in 2012. Same number of points as Justin Williams and more points than Carter. The only two forwards who produced more points were Brown and Kopitar.

In 2013, Richards was 3rd in playoff scoring on the Kings, only forward to produce more was Jeff Carter. Richards had more playoff points than Williams, Kopitar, Brown, etc.

It wasn’t until 2014 when Richards saw his role severely diminished (and that was justifiable). He still made a number of important plays though, like being responsible for the tying goal against the Ducks in Game 1, and also in OT against the Rangers in Game 1, setting up Williams with the game winner.

There’s no doubt his play and performance fell off a cliff, but Richards was still a valuable piece on the Kings in their three-year run. To deny that is simply being dense.

 

[psych3man]

There are many overused words in sports.
"Intangibles" is one of them.
However, intangibles can be defined as "Mike Richards."
In addition to his excellent on-ice offense and defense, his scrappy play (another overused phrase but fits Richards' play perfectly), sticking up for his teammates, holding teammates responsible and overall leadership in the locker room were absolutely indispensable.
Brown led with his play, Richards led with his play and his mouth and attitude.
Complete winner pre-concussion.
As stated earlier, no Richards no Cups.
Hence Lombardi's ill-fated loyalty.

 

[KINGS17]

Pretty straight forward article. I pulled the Kings and Oilers for comparison. When your highest paid players aren't the most bang-for-the-buck players you are going to be near last place. Also threw the Blackhawks and Avalanche in as other comparative data points. Edmonton needs Connor McDavid to pick up his performance and get on this list if they are going to win it all some day. He is overpaid at this time.

By the numbers: The best value contract on every NHL team

Los Angeles Kings

PLAYER	GSVA/82	XWIN	DIFFERENCE	CAP HIT (M)	YEARS LEFT
Matt Roy	2.08	-0.26	2.33	$0.70	1
Ben Hutton	1.09	-0.02	1.11	$1.50	0
Alex Iafallo	1.48	0.45	1.03	$2.43	1
Tyler Toffoli	2.14	1.13	1.02	$4.60	0
Blake Lizotte	0.43	-0.02	0.45	$0.93	1

[TBODY] [/TBODY]
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Edmonton Oilers

PLAYER	GSVA/82	XWIN	DIFFERENCE	CAP HIT (M)	YEARS LEFT
Kailer Yamamoto	3.92	-0.03	3.95	$0.89	1
Leon Draisaitl	4.18	2.34	1.84	$8.50	5
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins	2.72	1.56	1.16	$6.00	1
Caleb Jones	0.84	-0.25	1.09	$0.72	0
Zack Kassian	1.04	0.3	0.74	$1.95	0

[TBODY] [/TBODY]
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Chicago Blackhawks

PLAYER	GSVA/82	XWIN	DIFFERENCE	CAP HIT (M)	YEARS LEFT
Dominik Kubalik	1.66	-0.02	1.68	$0.93	0
Dylan Strome	1.38	-0.04	1.43	$0.86	0
Slater Koekkoek	1.23	-0.19	1.42	$0.93	0
Alex Debrincat	1.28	-0.07	1.35	$0.78	0
Kirby Dach	0.29	-0.02	0.31	$0.93	2

[TBODY] [/TBODY]
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Colorado Avalanche

PLAYER	GSVA/82	XWIN	DIFFERENCE	CAP HIT (M)	YEARS LEFT
Cale Makar	3.52	-0.2	3.73	$0.88	1
Nathan MacKinnon	4.91	1.66	3.25	$6.30	3
Valeri Nichushkin	2.22	-0.05	2.26	$0.85	0
Ryan Graves	1.86	-0.25	2.1	$0.74	0
Samuel Girard	1.81	-0.25	2.06	$0.73	0

[TBODY] [/TBODY]
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

 

[kingsholygrail]

What has Mike Richards even been up to? Just quietly retired?

 

[KINGS17]

What has Mike Richards even been up to? Just quietly retired?

Richards does a lot of fishing using his nice sized motor boat. Fortunately for him, he doesn't live in Michigan.

 

[johnjm22]

There are many overused words in sports.
"Intangibles" is one of them.
However, intangibles can be defined as "Mike Richards."
In addition to his excellent on-ice offense and defense, his scrappy play (another overused phrase but fits Richards' play perfectly), sticking up for his teammates, holding teammates responsible and overall leadership in the locker room were absolutely indispensable.
Brown led with his play, Richards led with his play and his mouth and attitude.
Complete winner pre-concussion.
As stated earlier, no Richards no Cups.
Hence Lombardi's ill-fated loyalty.

Mike Richards can't even hold Justin William's jock strap in the intangibles department.

 

[KINGS17]

Mike Richards can't even hold Justin William's jock strap in the intangibles department.

By the time 2014 rolled around, absolutely true. Sometimes overlooked though is the performance of Richards and Carter in the 2013 playoffs.

 

[KingsFan7824]

He was definitely on the downside of his career.

Also, very overrated. Perhaps the most overrated player of his generation.

The Myth of Mike Richards was part of getting him in the first place. It's why DL couldn't let him go when he got lost in his eyes in the cabin on the crisp Canadian lake.

 

[kingsholygrail]

Kopitar-Richards-Stoll-Richardson
That center depth was fun.