Brad Richards

[JCrusher*]

You were saying?

I meant healthy scratch

 

[broadwayblue]

He has got to go at the end of this season.

They do have a compliance buyout next summer...so that's an option as well. Hopefully he can get his game together, but he's signed to a lot of money for a lot more years...so I'd be lying if I said I wasn't concerned.

 

[VancouverCanuck]

Lol

You Rangers fans have "SIFS" aka sky is falling Syndrome...

Richards is having a slump, he will return to form. Patience!

 

[Hi ImHFNYR]

This thread...

Do you have reasons why you feel it's not a warranted one as the wonderful Mr. Wonka implies?

I IMMENSELY have feared Richards contract hit and length since we signed him. For me it was always an issue of "We're signing a 1 C for today but how soon will tomorrow come?" I seriously doubt if he lasts as a viable 1C beyond next year. EVen more I wonder if he will be a viable player at all in 2 or 3. But he's signed to be a 1C for 5 years after that...awful contract imo. Unleeeeess you are willing to correct that mistake and buy him out. I don't understand how he got to be so damn DUUUUUUUUMB. I have to think that he will get his head out of his a** and start making more good plays and decrease the unbelievably high number of bad ones

 

[SnowblindNYR]

Do you have reasons why you feel it's not a warranted one as the wonderful Mr. Wonka implies?

I IMMENSELY have feared Richards contract hit and length since we signed him. For me it was always an issue of "We're signing a 1 C for today but how soon will tomorrow come?" I seriously doubt if he lasts as a viable 1C beyond next year. EVen more I wonder if he will be a viable player at all in 2 or 3. But he's signed to be a 1C for 5 years after that...awful contract imo. Unleeeeess you are willing to correct that mistake and buy him out. I don't understand how he got to be so damn DUUUUUUUUMB. I have to think that he will get his head out of his a** and start making more good plays and decrease the unbelievably high number of bad ones

That's the thing, he's not old enough to be senile. It's not like he lost his skills, he's just making stupid plays.

 

[Killem Dafoe]

Do you have reasons why you feel it's not a warranted one as the wonderful Mr. Wonka implies?

I IMMENSELY have feared Richards contract hit and length since we signed him. For me it was always an issue of "We're signing a 1 C for today but how soon will tomorrow come?" I seriously doubt if he lasts as a viable 1C beyond next year. EVen more I wonder if he will be a viable player at all in 2 or 3. But he's signed to be a 1C for 5 years after that...awful contract imo. Unleeeeess you are willing to correct that mistake and buy him out. I don't understand how he got to be so damn DUUUUUUUUMB. I have to think that he will get his head out of his a** and start making more good plays and decrease the unbelievably high number of bad ones

Oh, It's warranted. I expected it because I think Brad is sucking pretty big right now. My follow-up post in this thread confirms how I feel, I hope you got a chance to read it, it's powerful stuff. I'm assuming the rest of your post isn't particularly directed at me, just more or less a general statement of how you feel about the guy, in which case, I agree to an extent as well.

Mostly I wanted to use a silly picture to express my expectation of this inevitable post of his suckyness and I sure hope you didn't read too much into Mr. Wonka.

 

[uqu06cpu]

Its such a shame Giveaways aren't a scoring category in my fantasy league...

 

[mike14]

you have to hope that it's just a big funk right now, the problem is that he just looks slow, lazy and disinterested, whether he has the puck or not.

To put a silver lining on it though, hopefully he can't suck any more than has for the last few games, but he still has 10 pts thru 13 games putting him equal with people like H. Sedin, Semin, AO, Getzlaf and Karlsson.

 

[Blueshirt Believer]

I think it would be a good move to separate Gabs and Richards. I think they are just not in sync. Gabs looked a lot more involved when he wasn't playing with Richards.

Take Richards PP time away, and let him work on his 5v5 play. If that means putting Richards in a third line capacity for a while, so be it. Our second line can be our first line at this point.

 

[nevesis]

They do have a compliance buyout next summer...so that's an option as well. Hopefully he can get his game together, but he's signed to a lot of money for a lot more years...so I'd be lying if I said I wasn't concerned.

Compliance buyout Richards, sign Ryan Getzlaf, 2013-14 New York Rangers Stanley Cup Champions...

Dude looks like Messier with that hair ...27 years old, in his prime...UFA at the end of this season

It will be 20 years next year...

 

[NY Lito]

you have to hope that it's just a big funk right now, the problem is that he just looks slow, lazy and disinterested, whether he has the puck or not.

To put a silver lining on it though, hopefully he can't suck any more than has for the last few games, but he still has 10 pts thru 13 games putting him equal with people like H. Sedin, Semin, AO, Getzlaf and Karlsson.

This is how I'm looking at it.

His play has been disconcerting, but it's still only 13 games in after a long layoff. He'll be fine.

 

[Glen Sathers Cigar]

I've always thought that Richards would be a player who could be very effective into his late 30's simply because his game isn't based on his physical abilities as much as it is his hockey smarts, his vision and his passing. All he needs to do is to get those things back to normal and he will be fine. I'm hoping he can get it back soon though because we really need him to play the way he can.

 

[Callagraves]

He's had a bad few games. My god people are short sighted.

 

[Callagraves]

Putting up points while playing awfully, for what it's worth, is pretty cool.

 

[wr50l]

He's had a bad few games. My god people are short sighted.

On the contrary, perhaps it is you who is being short-sighted. This is a players whose contract, which pays almost 10% of the salary cap alone, expires in 7 years time when the player will be 39 years old. We're not getting his best years, and it is increasingly looking like we're about to get his worst in the immediate future.

 

[SixGoalieSystem]

Putting up points while playing awfully, for what it's worth, is pretty cool.

Would be fine if he was a non factor in the offensive build-up and still put points on the board. When he's causing turnovers and giving up odd man rushes like he's done consistantly all year he needs to step up or sit down.

I take comfort in the fact that he started pretty awful last year too and only got going about 10-15 games into the season. But in a shortened season like this, we can't afford to have our first line center suck the first third of the season. If I'm Torts I scratch him the next game.

 

[mandiblesofdoom]

Putting up points while playing awfully, for what it's worth, is pretty cool.

It's a talent ... Richards seems to make one or two decent plays a game, and Nash, Gaborik, etc., turn them into points.

 

[alkurtz]

I've always thought that Richards would be a player who could be very effective into his late 30's simply because his game isn't based on his physical abilities as much as it is his hockey smarts, his vision and his passing. All he needs to do is to get those things back to normal and he will be fine. I'm hoping he can get it back soon though because we really need him to play the way he can.

I don't know if I agree with that. I think a player dependent on his smarts is more vulnerable to the aging process. If you lose just a bit of speed, quickness, and reaction time, your game deteriorates fast.

All athletes age differently. Some are able to retain their skills well into their thirties, whether it is a 90+ MPH fastball or skating abilities. Others do not. It is not determined by fitness, drive, or dedication. It seems like genetics. I don't question BR's dedication or effort or even his conditioning. I didn't question those qualities in either Redden's or Drury's cases. Both were athletes who as they aged just lost that edge, were unable to compensate, and their games fell apart.

Although BR is not "old" it is not unheard of for athletes his age to lose it.

This is a big problem for the Rangers as if his problems are age related, there is no way to rectify the situation. Although he might have good games or even a stretch of good games here and there, the general trend is downward. BR was not the same player last year he was in previous years and doesn't appear to be the same player this years as he was last year.

If true, the lesson to be learned here is simple: be very wary of signing free agents to fill high end positions (1st line forward, 1st line D) on the other side of 30.

I was completely in favor of signing BR although I always felt it a gamble. It was something the Rangers had to do, should have done, and did do. But if the trend continues, and I certainly hope my accessment in 100% wrong, a buyout may be in the works down the road and this will be looked at as a failed experiment.

 

[Vickers8]

Please take him off the PP point, he's horrible...put McD back there

 

[Smith31]

Here is what's going on...this guy is more interested in what suit he is going to put on after the game and what wine he is going to drink (I forwarded the article where BR talks about how excited he gets to go home and try new Chardonays with his GF to all my Ranger fan friends accompanied with an "uhhh Ohhh"). Nova Scotia kid from family of lobster fisherman is now a wine-sipping fashonista with a celebrity girlfriend.

No worries though, buy-outs cure all....

 

[HockeyBasedNYC]

I don't question BR's dedication or effort or even his conditioning. QUOTE]

Here is what's going on...this guy is more interested in what suit he is going to put on after the game and what wine he is going to drink. Nova Scotia kid from family of lobster fisherman is now a wine-sipping fashonista with a celebrity girlfriend.

No worries though, buy-outs cure all....

Seriously doubt this. The guy breathes hockey.

 

[Smith31]

From Forbes article during lockout....

Forbes: You recently signed on to endorse Untuckit, the shirt company. Why?

Richards: I like wearing the stuff. Chris [Riccobono, the founder of Untuckit] is an athlete. He played tennis in college. We share a love of wine.

Forbes: Any good wines you’ve found lately?

Richards: I love everything from the Bordeaux region. Others? Let me see. [Pauses] You put me on the spot. You can tell I drink a lot of wine since I can’t even narrow it down. You know, Chris is really into Italian wines, so we’ve been trying out Brunellos and learning about that region.

Check out your fashonista #1 Center!
http://untuckit.com/

...maybe BR should concentrate on hockey rather than "picking out the perfect shirt for your Valentine's Day"

 

[PlamsUnlimited]

I just hope he starts up soon. I'm not calling for a buyout. He just... Maybe needs new line mates. I love the rangers and can't ever bash them so hard. I want to see improvement. I think he'll get it all together.

 

[SingnBluesOnBroadway]

From Forbes article during lockout....

Forbes: You recently signed on to endorse Untuckit, the shirt company. Why?

Richards: I like wearing the stuff. Chris [Riccobono, the founder of Untuckit] is an athlete. He played tennis in college. We share a love of wine.

Forbes: Any good wines you’ve found lately?

Richards: I love everything from the Bordeaux region. Others? Let me see. [Pauses] You put me on the spot. You can tell I drink a lot of wine since I can’t even narrow it down. You know, Chris is really into Italian wines, so we’ve been trying out Brunellos and learning about that region.

Check out your fashonista #1 Center!
http://untuckit.com/

...maybe BR should concentrate on hockey rather than "picking out the perfect shirt for your Valentine's Day"

Ridiculous. Players have the right to explore other things off the ice. If he was doing charity work (and he does) nobody would say a thing.

 

[nevesis]

He's had a bad few games. My god people are short sighted.

Kinda hurts me to see this. I mean, this isn't a bad few games. He has looked terrible from the 1st game, all the way to now (and is getting worse)

When I watch hockey, I don't stare at the stat sheet waiting to see the numbers increase. I watch the players, and the way they skate, the decisions they are making, whether or not they are hustling to loose pucks, or floating because they don't want to exert the extra energy, etc.

The first few games I gave Richards a pass because he didn't have much of a camp, hardly skated during the lockout, and was sick from the flu.

That's all over now.

Brad Richards is pocketing about $250,000 per game but is showing the effort, skill of a guy in a rec league.

Its purely unacceptable, and last night it got to a point where even Tortorella noticed.

I was never that into him as a player, I never enjoy watching guys who don't skate well, and don't have great hands. He has the smarts, and playmaking ability, but that is lacking bad right now.

His contract is terrible and we would be stuck with him for seven more years.

I think it should definitely be in the conversation to use the compliance buyout in the summer on him if his play doesn't take a complete 180.

Sign Ryan Getzlaf as a top 6 center, you get an increase in size, ability, and he's only 27 years old and would cost roughly the same as Richards does now.