Brad Richards Part III: The Buy-Out!

[RangerBoy]

Then comes the harder part, especially for Tortorella: The Rangers have almost no choice but to buy out the remaining seven years of Richards' contract when the buyout window opens in June.

The salary cap goes from $70.2 million to $64.3 million next season. Glen Sather, Jeff Gorton and the Rangers' front office have to figure out how to get Ryan McDonagh, Derek Stepan and Carl Hagelin, all restricted free agents, signed this offseason. Henrik Lundqvist, Ryan Callahan and Dan Girardi, three unrestricted free agents who will cost a bundle, come due in the summer of 2014.

All six of those Rangers are crucial to re-sign. If Tortorella and Sather have learned anything from this struggle of a season that improbably continues Saturday, it's that these Rangers need depth. Dealing away Brandon Dubinsky and Artem Anisimov and losing Brandon Prust in free agency compromised their forward depth, and Marc Staal's eye injury has left them thin on defense.

The Marian Gaborik trade last month did an enormous job of freeing up cap room for next season, but there still is more work to do, and Richards' drop-off the last two months has been steep and disturbing.

http://www.newsday.com/sports/colum...ends-decision-to-drop-brad-richards-1.5328546

Richards’ demotion equates to Rodriguez being pinch hit for in last October’s playoffs against the Orioles. The scratch equates to Alex Rodriguez being benched later in that same series.

Though the Yankees are saddled with Rodriguez’s massive contract going forward and will thus face complex luxury-tax issues and payroll decisions because of it, the Rangers will have the opportunity to use their second and final amnesty buyout on Richards’ contract this summer, and thus delete the $6.67 million cap charge that is currently on the books through 2019-20.

The Rangers might have wanted to defer that decision for another summer so they could give Richards another year with a training camp to re-establish himself. It is possible that he could re-establish a credible game given that chance.

But Derek Stepan and Derrick Brassard will have to be the Rangers’ top two centers next year. Someone other than Richards will have to be given the chance to quarterback the power play. So reasons to defer the buyout decision don’t seem to exist.

http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/rangers/rangers_richards_deserved_the_hook_hpSXjWxGTs0V9Fp1mXatmM

 

[mike14]

LOL, last sentence from Brooks makes no sense. he lists reasons why the Rangers might want to defer the buy out (PP QB, having more options than Brassard/Stepan) and then says they don't exist.

He might not like them, but they still exist

 

[RangerBoy]

LOL, last sentence from Brooks makes no sense. he lists reasons why the Rangers might want to defer the buy out (PP QB, having more options than Brassard/Stepan) and then says they don't exist.

He might not like them, but they still exist

No they don't. Amnestying Richards next month is a no brainer. Katie Strang wrote about cap recapture. We have discussed cap recapture since January. Look at the numbers. Keeping him is idiotic. Her numbers are a little off. Its the same concept. This contract will sink the franchise. The CBA changed the rules. The NHLPA wanted compliance buyouts. Richards was part of those discussions. Those buyouts are for contracts signed under the 2005 CBA. Richards signed his contract under the 05 CBA.

But the main reason the Rangers will consider a compliance buyout has less to do with performance than one might think. In fact, they'd have to entertain the possibility even if Richards was playing well if it appeared he retired before the expiration of his contract.

Why?

The Cap Advantage Recapture Rule in the new CBA.

That rule penalizes a team with a player on a deal seven years or more in the event of early retirement for the "cap advantage" the team received while the player's salary was more than his cap hit.

In Richards' case, the Rangers would be penalized $5.6 million if he retired during the offseason in 2017, $8.5 million in '18 and a whopping $17 million in '19.

The Rangers would not be subject to these penalties if they exercise a buyout this summer or next. If they wait until next summer to buy out Richards, they run the risk of him sustaining an injury while playing during the 2013-14 season. Teams are not allowed to buy out an
injured player.

http://espn.go.com/new-york/nhl/sto...ad-richards-new-york-rangers-scratched-game-4

 

[mike14]

still looks like they have options to me, especially based on what Brooks wrote (which was all I was talking about)

 

[Hi ImHFNYR]

still looks like they have options to me, especially based on what Brooks wrote (which was all I was talking about)

What are they?

 

[mike14]

What are they?

1. Buy out Richards
2. trade Richards
3. Play Richards for another season, then buy him out

2 and 3 carry risks (large ones), but they also provide different rewards to option 1. I'm firmly in the option 1 camp, but the others are still there.

And to reiterate, if you read the Brooks stuff posted, he doesn't mention of the salary related stuff.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

What happens to the cap hit if we trade him?

 

[mike14]

What happens to the cap hit if we trade him?

goes with him to the team he is traded to, but if he retires early (most likely) we'd cop the cap hit from that

 

[Hi ImHFNYR]

1. Buy out Richards
2. trade Richards
3. Play Richards for another season, then buy him out

2 and 3 carry risks (large ones), but they also provide different rewards to option 1. I'm firmly in the option 1 camp, but the others are still there.

And to reiterate, if you read the Brooks stuff posted, he doesn't mention of the salary related stuff.

I thought you meant options with little to no risk to the team. I just don't see how they have any option other than buyout. The other options are so bad b/c of their risk that I can't even really consider them options but that's just my own opinion. Injury and retirement concerns just make the 2nd and 3rd unacceptable risks in my eyes if I'm running the team

 

[frozenrubber]

I thought you meant options with little to no risk to the team. I just don't see how they have any option other than buyout. The other options are so bad b/c of their risk that I can't even really consider them options but that's just my own opinion. Injury and retirement concerns just make the 2nd and 3rd unacceptable risks in my eyes if I'm running the team

The only real options are buying him out this offseason or next.

 

[toewsintangibles]

Gotta give it to Richards, what a salesman he is to get paid this much for these last 2 years and do so little

 

[Hi ImHFNYR]

The only real options are buying him out this offseason or next.

I don't even think next year is an option b/c you run the risk of injury which i think is too risky.

 

[mike14]

I thought you meant options with little to no risk to the team. I just don't see how they have any option other than buyout. The other options are so bad b/c of their risk that I can't even really consider them options but that's just my own opinion. Injury and retirement concerns just make the 2nd and 3rd unacceptable risks in my eyes if I'm running the team

I don't think injury is a huge concern, but based on this year it doesn't look like its worth taking any risk at all. I'm just not 100% certain that Stepan and Brassard can be your top 2 centers for a whole season if you want to go deep into the playoffs

 

[Crease]

I don't think injury is a huge concern, but based on this year it doesn't look like its worth taking any risk at all. I'm just not 100% certain that Stepan and Brassard can be your top 2 centers for a whole season if you want to go deep into the playoffs

Agreed. If they buyout Richards this offseason, I'd like for them to bring in someone else. They also can't bank on Lindberg making a significant contribution right out of the gate. They did that this year with Kreider and it burnt them.

 

[nyr2k2]

The sooner he's off the books the better. We need the cap space now. With him on the team, things are really, really dicey with our RFAs. You drop the dead weight and it's all manageable.

I'd like to think he can refocus himself this summer and return to decent production. It's too much of a risk, and a burden for us. Let him rediscover his game somewhere else.

 

[Hi ImHFNYR]

I don't think injury is a huge concern, but based on this year it doesn't look like its worth taking any risk at all. I'm just not 100% certain that Stepan and Brassard can be your top 2 centers for a whole season if you want to go deep into the playoffs

I;'m ok with it if we miss the PO's for a year based on these circumstances. Gotta get rid of BR's long term impact it's much more important to me than making the PO's next year b/c it could impact our ability to make it for several years to come

 

[Hi ImHFNYR]

Agreed. If they buyout Richards this offseason, I'd like for them to bring in someone else. They also can't bank on Lindberg making a significant contribution right out of the gate. They did that this year with Kreider and it burnt them.

They have to sign a 3rd or 4th line guy who contributes. It's their job and they've failed miserably at it but they have to do it. The only good thing is if OL or JT are given 3rd/4th line duties they won't be counted on like CK was for 1st/2nd line duties

 

[KreidertheGlider]

If we don't get a 1st line Center, we must be absolutely sure Stepan and Brassard won't regress.

I want us to amnesty Richards and look for a 1st liner because Brassards career has been up and down and I not sure Stepan will stay the same/improve.

1st line center
Stepan
Brassard
OL/JT

This is the center depth you need to contend. If Stepan keeps improving, then he can suffice as the 1C. But I'd prefer Brassard as our 3C. We should sign a good 2C in this case

 

[Hunter Gathers]

The only real options are buying him out this offseason or next.

Agreed. That's it. They have two options.

There is a risk/reward scenario with buying him out next year. I am not 100% risk averse, but I would label myself as substantially risk averse. Buying him out this season, with the drastic decline in play we have seen, is the course that I feel the Rangers should take. They may well feel differently, but I can't see how.

 

[Hunter Gathers]

Gotta give it to Richards, what a salesman he is to get paid this much for these last 2 years and do so little

I don't understand why people post crap like this. He was very, very solid last year and provided quite a bit to our team. Even this year when his play fell off he still put up points and was one of the main reasons we ended up in the playoffs.

He's been really bad in the playoffs and during a fair amount of the regular season. But so little? That's just silly.

 

[Thirty One]

I don't understand why people post crap like this. He was very, very solid last year and provided quite a bit to our team. Even this year when his play fell off he still put up points and was one of the main reasons we ended up in the playoffs.

He's been really bad in the playoffs and during a fair amount of the regular season. But so little? That's just silly.

He's clearly a great salesman. All he had to do was put up 60-90 points for 10 straight seasons, and people were lining up to sign him.

Vince Offer and Kevin Trudeau should take notes.

 

[Ice Hockey]

Anyone saying "wait and see what happens" is... just plain ****ing blind. Brad Richards is finished. His career as a hockey player is over and there is nothing else to say besides this:

Brad is one of the absolute slowest players in th NHL. Being that he is small in size as well as slow, it doesn't cut it no matter his hockey IQ. He just doesn't have the tools to compete. He looks worse than Gordie did when he was 50 years old. He couldn't cut it in the AHL at this point. He would be a rock star in a Tier 2 men's league I'm sure, but that's the only thing I'm sure of. 2004 was another time. I say this with a huge smile: bye, Brad. A

And if you don't agree with me, it doesn't change the fact that he's done. And that's what counts. Your smug little "I know more about hockey than you" pseudo-witty comment? It doesn't count. I am so relieved that Brad Richards and his little sissy cheer leaders (how can you be anything other than a sissy by rooting for such a worthless, gutless player) are going to have to move on.

What's more important is: How on earth did he get such a great deal? Who hid the fact that he sucked so bad? I know this was a combination of things, but my God we should have seen this coming. What a lucky SOB to be so unskilled and so slow, yet make so much money.

 

[Hunter Gathers]

He's clearly a great salesman. All he had to do was put up 60-90 points for 10 straight seasons, and people were lining up to sign him.

Vince Offer and Kevin Trudeau should take notes.

 

[Hunter Gathers]

Anyone saying "wait and see what happens" is... just plain ****ing blind. Brad Richards is finished. His career as a hockey player is over and there is nothing else to say besides this:

Brad is one of the absolute slowest players in th NHL. Being that he is small in size as well as slow, it doesn't cut it no matter his hockey IQ. He just doesn't have the tools to compete. He looks worse than Gordie did when he was 50 years old. He couldn't cut it in the AHL at this point. He would be a rock star in a Tier 2 men's league I'm sure, but that's the only thing I'm sure of. 2004 was another time. I say this with a huge smile: bye, Brad. A

And if you don't agree with me, it doesn't change the fact that he's done. And that's what counts. Your smug little "I know more about hockey than you" pseudo-witty comment? It doesn't count. I am so relieved that Brad Richards and his little sissy cheer leaders (how can you be anything other than a sissy by rooting for such a worthless, gutless player) are going to have to move on.

What's more important is: How on earth did he get such a great deal? Who hid the fact that he sucked so bad? I know this was a combination of things, but my God we should have seen this coming. What a lucky SOB to be so unskilled and so slow, yet make so much money.

The second paragraph is accurate. The rest of it is

 

[Ice Hockey]

Who gets the A next year?

my guess would be... Girardi (assuming Staal is healthy)?