Brad Richards

[Kershaw]

Carp just called out Richards in his chat.

Paraphrasing:

"Richards has been kidnapped by a some small, weak, unmotivated person."

"Gomez, Drury and Holik" were all better players for the Rangers.

About sums it all up. The Rangers were counting on him and Richards has let the whole organization down....along with the fans of course.

Didnt watch Holik much, but yeah Gomez and Drury in Blueshirts were 2x the players Richards is.

 

[NYRCSKA*]

Didnt watch Holik much, but yeah Gomez and Drury in Blueshirts were 2x the players Richards is.

Holik was very good for us. Lead us in scoring. Unfortunately he was the victim of an awful contract, but he was a very solid and motivated player.

 

[NYR Viper]

Didnt watch Holik much, but yeah Gomez and Drury in Blueshirts were 2x the players Richards is.

So you think Gomez and Drury were better than Richards? oreally?

 

[Kershaw]

So you think Gomez and Drury were better than Richards? oreally?

Of course.

Just telling it how I see it.

Richards wasn't even half as good at the defensive side of the puck as Gomez/Drury were.

To me, he is an even bigger bust than those two.

 

[nyranger61494]

Holik was very good for us. Lead us in scoring. Unfortunately he was the victim of an awful contract, but he was a very solid and motivated player.

He wasn't motivated enough to show up to camp in shape his first summer if I recall correctly.

 

[Pizza]

......and one other thing:

"The Rangers will likely not buy out Richards this summer. Instead they will wait and see how he does in camp. If he still sucks, they send him home."

 

[NYR Viper]

Of course.

Just telling it how I see it.

Richards wasn't even half as good at the defensive side of the puck as Gomez/Drury were.

To me, he is an even bigger bust than those two.

Gomez was/is not a good defensive center. When the puck hit Drury's stick, it would literally explode. Richards still controls the puck and makes plays here and there. I think he is on the cusp. He also took it another level last year in the playoffs. ECF. Where did the Rangers get with Gomez and Drury?

 

[nyranger61494]

Gomez was/is not a good defensive center. When the puck hit Drury's stick, it would literally explode. Richards still controls the puck and makes plays here and there. I think he is on the cusp. He also took it another level last year in the playoffs. ECF. Where did the Rangers get with Gomez and Drury?

Really?

Agree though that Richards' first year was better than Drury or Gomez ever produced in NY. He got better as year progressed and had some impressive playoff performances.

 

[Pizza]

He wasn't motivated enough to show up to camp in shape his first summer if I recall correctly.

Motivation seem s to be a consistent problem with high dollar F/A signings. They lock up a ton of cash, show up unmotivated and out of shape, cause problems in the room (what thinking person would not be pissed looking at that?), and suck on the ice.

What's not to like?

 

[Kershaw]

Gomez was/is not a good defensive center. When the puck hit Drury's stick, it would literally explode. Richards still controls the puck and makes plays here and there. I think he is on the cusp. He also took it another level last year in the playoffs. ECF. Where did the Rangers get with Gomez and Drury?

Gomez and Drury were a tier above Richards defensively. Drury was always an elite player who gave it his all, but his body just broke down at the worst time. He led the team in PK minutes his first season here.

Gomez was #2 in scoring for 2 straight seasons for the Rangers. He was one point behind Jagr his first season here.

And both were good in the playoffs.

Richards only had one good series vs. the Caps, just like Gomez and Drury demolished the Devils.









When I see Richards play this year, I see basically a slower and less intelligent Scott Gomez.

 

[Pizza]

Holik *****ed and moaned endlessly in public. I think some of it was very warranted at the time. Even though it totally pissed me off. I'd disagree with Carp here. Holik never impressed me as a Ranger. Not as a team mate or as a player.

Gomez produced at about his average his first two seasons. His overall game seemed a lot less effective after he joined the team. His attitude seemed pretty crappy. Maybe that played a big part in trading him? Could not say.

Drury, about the same as Gomez in terms of production and game until the end, when everything just collapsed. His commitment was there. Could not question that, imo. Everything I read said that team mates loved him.

Richards was about average last year, but was a solid team mate and a good presence. I don't know how you could say that this year. It's all but been stamped as fact that he showed up after the lock out in sub par shape. That is surprising given his rep. Having a moaping, whining, non contributing, super star, multi millionaire team mate would grate on the nerves of a Saint. And not having the presence of a Pruster in the locker room can only be making it more difficult.

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

Holik *****ed and moaned endlessly in public. I think some of it was very warranted at the time. Even though it totally pissed me off. I'd disagree with Carp here. Holik never impressed me as a Ranger. Not as a team mate or as a player..

Sather has a long history of signing player to contracts aligned with performance that is WAY over their capabilities. Holik was one of the first ones. I dont think he played poorly, but any 3rd line checking center would be confused about their job when theyre making $9M yearly. Ridiculous.

Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed that he repeatedly called out a team that sucked for sucking.

 

[Leetch66]

When Gabby was sucking we would always hear he was not recovered from an injury or he had a nagging injury . We never hear anything about Richards...but is there any possibility he also has a nagging groin/back/or injury of any sort that has hampered his play this season....I'm in no way making excuses for him...just throwing it out there to discuss .

 

[OverTheCap]

Gomez has character issues which I'm assuming is part of the reason he was shipped out. He played a big role in getting Renney fired and is known for not getting along with coaches. It's one thing for a coach to lose a team and another thing entirely for a player to quit on a coach intentionally. That's not a guy you want in your locker room.

While I think it's awful that Richards didn't make much of an effort to be in game shape during the lockout, he is the 20x the teammate that Gomez was and is a positive locker room presence. Graves suggested recently Richards has been a good role model and mentor for Stepan.

 

[NYR Sting]

Gomez and Drury were a tier above Richards defensively. Drury was always an elite player who gave it his all, but his body just broke down at the worst time. He led the team in PK minutes his first season here.

Gomez was #2 in scoring for 2 straight seasons for the Rangers. He was one point behind Jagr his first season here.

And both were good in the playoffs.

Richards only had one good series vs. the Caps, just like Gomez and Drury demolished the Devils.

When I see Richards play this year, I see basically a slower and less intelligent Scott Gomez.

So basically, you're going to do exactly what you did in the Callahan thread a few weeks ago: take a bunch of numbers completely out of context, and present them as an argument. Gomez was 2nd on the team in scoring, behind Jagr, when the Rangers were one of the worst offensive teams in the league. One of the biggest reasons they were such a terrible offensive team was Gomez.

Way to compare Richards and Gomez, by the way. One is a Conn Smythe winner and proven leader that sustained a lengthy career predicated almost entirely on his intelligence, despite a noted lack of athleticism. The other is a notorious locker room miscreant, a lazy, often out of shape problem child, whose teams achieved success with him only when he was surrounded by superior talent and a virtually impenetrable defensive system. A player who broke into the league almost entirely because of his speed and skill, and in spite of his embarrassing lack of intelligence.

Gomez's performance for the Rangers was a disgrace. He produced two of the most inefficient seasons for a top line playmaking center in NHL history..

Richards was the only major addition to the roster last year, and was one of the most important pieces in this team's most successful season in 15 years.

Drury is one of my all-time favorite players, yet I would never call him elite. He was an elite role player. He's supposed to be better defensively than Richards, that's the entire reason he was in the league. He was a defense-first player who, like Callahan, was smart enough to produce offense when playing with superior talents.

Richards was a signing that was basically unavoidable given the make up of the team, the age of some of the key players, and the other available options. Gomez, Drury, Holik, Redden . . . none of these players made any sense at the time they were acquired. The money was wrong, their ability was wrong, and the makeup of the roster, as well as the situation the club found itself in, signaled quite obviously that these players were destined to be mistakes.

 

[satrabyk]

Gomez was/is not a good defensive center. When the puck hit Drury's stick, it would literally explode. Richards still controls the puck and makes plays here and there. I think he is on the cusp. He also took it another level last year in the playoffs. ECF. Where did the Rangers get with Gomez and Drury?

Honestly Richards sucks said it the whole time. I dont care what plays he makes in the playoffs, we wont get in with how **** his lackluster look is. Hes so weak in the defensive zone, plays with no sense of urgency, is weak on the puck and just not good. I dont get it, how we manage to sign such ****. Dont the scouts see this!. Lucky we have Stepan or we would be sitting with 34 points right now if had to rely on Richards as #1 center.

 

[Kershaw]

So basically, you're going to do exactly what you did in the Callahan thread a few weeks ago: take a bunch of numbers completely out of context, and present them as an argument. Gomez was 2nd on the team in scoring, behind Jagr, when the Rangers were one of the worst offensive teams in the league. One of the biggest reasons they were such a terrible offensive team was Gomez.

Way to compare Richards and Gomez, by the way. One is a Conn Smythe winner and proven leader that sustained a lengthy career predicated almost entirely on his intelligence, despite a noted lack of athleticism. The other is a notorious locker room miscreant, a lazy, often out of shape problem child, whose teams achieved success with him only when he was surrounded by superior talent and a virtually impenetrable defensive system. A player who broke into the league almost entirely because of his speed and skill, and in spite of his embarrassing lack of intelligence.

Gomez's performance for the Rangers was a disgrace. He produced two of the most inefficient seasons for a top line playmaking center in NHL history..

Richards was the only major addition to the roster last year, and was one of the most important pieces in this team's most successful season in 15 years.

Drury is one of my all-time favorite players, yet I would never call him elite. He was an elite role player. He's supposed to be better defensively than Richards, that's the entire reason he was in the league. He was a defense-first player who, like Callahan, was smart enough to produce offense when playing with superior talents.

Richards was a signing that was basically unavoidable given the make up of the team, the age of some of the key players, and the other available options. Gomez, Drury, Holik, Redden . . . none of these players made any sense at the time they were acquired. The money was wrong, their ability was wrong, and the makeup of the roster, as well as the situation the club found itself in, signaled quite obviously that these players were destined to be mistakes.

I am strictly taking about performance, but I mistyped Drury as an elite player. He was always an elite defensive player that gave it his all.

From a performance standpoint, Brad Richards has gone down as an even bigger blunder than Scott Gomez himself.

 

[cd211]

So you think Gomez and Drury were better than Richards? oreally?

i think he means at least drury blocked shots, big time leader, and played on P= Useful

Gomez i actually think wouldv'e been awesome here if he had wingers to play with him, but sather never got those wingers bc he blew his load on drury and redden as well..

gomez i enjoyed.. he just was a cap issue and wasnt scoring but he was never a scorer and us fans assumed he should score.. he was always a set up man..

however back to richards.. he was signed to be our number 1c (since surpassed) and run our pp (still hasnt fixed anything).. he was never a PK and may not be that big of a leader who knos.. but imo even when the other struggled they we're still affective..

 

[ColonialsHockey10]

Gomez's performance for the Rangers was a disgrace. He produced two of the most inefficient seasons for a top line playmaking center in NHL history..

Richards was the only major addition to the roster last year, and was one of the most important pieces in this team's most successful season in 15 years.

Yet, in his first two seasons he outscored Richards as a Rangers.

How on earth do you selectively leave that out?

Did Richards pay some of you guys off?

Your second point you've mentioned before. I simply don't know where to begin.

 

[ColonialsHockey10]

\
Richards was a signing that was basically unavoidable given the make up of the team, the age of some of the key players, and the other available options. Gomez, Drury, Holik, Redden . . . none of these players made any sense at the time they were acquired. The money was wrong, their ability was wrong, and the makeup of the roster, as well as the situation the club found itself in, signaled quite obviously that these players were destined to be mistakes.

Another thing that is mentioned around here far too often.

Most people, unless they're an idiot, are not blaming Sather for this. It's all on Richards.

Who gives a rats ass if it was appropriate at the time? I'm not sitting here criticizing Sather. I'm criticizing the piece of crap that I have to watch on the ice at every Rangers game wearing #19.

 

[Kershaw]

Another thing that is mentioned around here far too often.

Most people, unless they're an idiot, are not blaming Sather for this. It's all on Richards.

Who gives a rats ass if it was appropriate at the time? I'm not sitting here criticizing Sather. I'm criticizing the piece of crap that I have to watch on the ice at every Rangers game wearing #19.

This.

I thought it was a wonderful move at the time. A move that would propel us to legitimate contenders for the next 5 years. Finally having that elite offensive 1C.

I want to believe, but Richards has been trash. Can't wait til this bum is off the team. Not Sather's fault, other teams offered more and dodged a bullet.

 

[ColonialsHockey10]

......and one other thing:

"The Rangers will likely not buy out Richards this summer. Instead they will wait and see how he does in camp. If he still sucks, they send him home."

I think the smart thing to do would be to buy him out after the 13-14 season. Although I'm not sure of the status of some of our RFAs and whatnot.

 

[mandiblesofdoom]

I don't get the falling down when he get ready to shoot at an open net. Mechanically, what is going on there?

 

[5 4 Fighting]

Richards is softer than baby Doo-Doo. I wouldn't even give him another chance here. He shows no fight at all, just floats with that dumb look on his face through the NZ and when inside of our blue line, is stationary watching the play. I've had enough of him.

 

[*Bob Richards*]

I think the smart thing to do would be to buy him out after the 13-14 season. Although I'm not sure of the status of some of our RFAs and whatnot.

It will cut it close. We have quite a few players to re-sign after next season including Hank.