Brad Richards

[egelband]

The anger at Richards is way over the top. He was a great player at one time and is getting paid for it now. He plays as hard as he can and is just not capable of much more right now. So...buy him out. I understand the disappointment but the vitriol? Don't get it; he's a class act giving us everything he has. Unfortunately, it's not that much.

Agreed. And, actually, i think he has been playing pretty well. Maybe not a topline guy but a good secondliner, overpaid.

 

[slipknottin]

The anger at Richards is way over the top. He was a great player at one time and is getting paid for it now. He plays as hard as he can and is just not capable of much more right now. So...buy him out. I understand the disappointment but the vitriol? Don't get it; he's a class act giving us everything he has. Unfortunately, it's not that much.

I'm not angry at Richards. I'm angry at rangers management for giving a huge long term deal to a guy who is old and slow.

And I'm angry at all the posters who talked about how he is the 2nd best playmaker in the league and all this other bull while the rangers were out signing him

 

[AHB*]

The anger at Richards is way over the top. He was a great player at one time and is getting paid for it now. He plays as hard as he can and is just not capable of much more right now. So...buy him out. I understand the disappointment but the vitriol? Don't get it; he's a class act giving us everything he has. Unfortunately, it's not that much.

Class act? Trying hard every game? Could have fooled me. The guy never hustles to the bench and never hustles off it.

I watched a play a few games ago, he didn't get in on the forecheck and I was thinking, ok, he's staying back in case Zucc can't grind the puck out of the corner. Zucc couldn't. He then stood at the blue line and didn't go to play D. Meanwhile, Zucc who was in the offensive zone corner battling for a puck on the forecheck, skated all the way back, covered Richards man and made a defensive play, skating across the entire ice. Richards wasn't even in the D-Zone.

The guy wasn't even cheering when we won the game the other night. He was standing next to Nash chewing his mouth guard while Nash was screaming.

I'm sick of him. I'm pissed at his comments about Cally, which, I do assume were true, but he should know that they are innapropriate and compeltely unnecessary. I'm sick of his old guard mentality. I'm sick of his awful awful passes on the Power play that have cost us lately.

I'm tired of his stick handling, his nonchalant defense, his **** +/-, and most of all his insane pay check.

The guy is 26th in the NHL for forwards with minutes played. That's more then anyone on our team, sans MSL.

If he is kept, I will truly lose all faith in this organization until Sather is gone.

I don't know what effort you see, but I watch this guy like a hawk and never see that effort. In fact, Stepan went for a change last night and Richards took his sweet time getting on the ice and it caused a scoring chance against. When you're getting paid what he does and you arent' hustling on every shift, you should be cut. No ifs ands or buts. I'm tired of it.

 

[silverfish]

I wish we had the depth to have Richards on the fourth line and PP2 (if that) from now until the playoffs. He's got no legs right now. It's sad to watch.

PP shouldn't move through him anymore. Split Zucc's and MSL, or let Stepan run one from the half-boards. No more Richie at the point.

 

[Cake or Death]

The anger at Richards is way over the top. He was a great player at one time and is getting paid for it now. He plays as hard as he can and is just not capable of much more right now. So...buy him out. I understand the disappointment but the vitriol? Don't get it; he's a class act giving us everything he has. Unfortunately, it's not that much.

Anger? I don't think any of it is hostile or personal, I think people are just calling it how they see it. Richards is not putting in a good effort and at 33 he shouldn't be falling out mid way through a season. I have no hate for the guy, it is not personal. It's about the team for me. And I think BR should be scratched right now in favor of Miller. I think that should have been the case weeks ago. I think Miller gives us more grit, more speed and a heck of a lot more effort in trying to make the playoffs and in the playoffs if we do make it.

 

[bobbop]

I think he's puting out the best effort he is capable of right now but his best years are clearly behind him. No longer an issues of buyout or not…his skills simply have faded to the point he's no longer an elite player. AMFYOYO after this season.

 

[Oak]

The anger at Richards is way over the top. He was a great player at one time and is getting paid for it now. He plays as hard as he can and is just not capable of much more right now. So...buy him out. I understand the disappointment but the vitriol? Don't get it; he's a class act giving us everything he has. Unfortunately, it's not that much.

Beaver I didn't know you posted on HFboards.

Just for the record you are no class act, and you are not even giving 10% of what you should be. A class act would hustle even if his skill was gone. You are a bum.

 

[Oak]

Class act? Trying hard every game? Could have fooled me. The guy never hustles to the bench and never hustles off it.

I watched a play a few games ago, he didn't get in on the forecheck and I was thinking, ok, he's staying back in case Zucc can't grind the puck out of the corner. Zucc couldn't. He then stood at the blue line and didn't go to play D. Meanwhile, Zucc who was in the offensive zone corner battling for a puck on the forecheck, skated all the way back, covered Richards man and made a defensive play, skating across the entire ice. Richards wasn't even in the D-Zone.

The guy wasn't even cheering when we won the game the other night. He was standing next to Nash chewing his mouth guard while Nash was screaming.

I'm sick of him. I'm pissed at his comments about Cally, which, I do assume were true, but he should know that they are innapropriate and compeltely unnecessary. I'm sick of his old guard mentality. I'm sick of his awful awful passes on the Power play that have cost us lately.

I'm tired of his stick handling, his nonchalant defense, his **** +/-, and most of all his insane pay check.

The guy is 26th in the NHL for forwards with minutes played. That's more then anyone on our team, sans MSL.

If he is kept, I will truly lose all faith in this organization until Sather is gone.

I don't know what effort you see, but I watch this guy like a hawk and never see that effort. In fact, Stepan went for a change last night and Richards took his sweet time getting on the ice and it caused a scoring chance against. When you're getting paid what he does and you arent' hustling on every shift, you should be cut. No ifs ands or buts. I'm tired of it.

I agree 100%. Get this bum out of here already. I wish they would scratch him for JT.

Didn't he promise Sather he would give his all this season so he didn't get bought out last year?

 

[Miller Time NYR]

Being a class act and a hard worker is the kinda **** they give out 5th place medals for in peewee sports, Riche has been good at times this season but it's way to evident he's done, he shouldn't be on the top PP anymore either because he hasn't done **** lately, go figure that unit has been terrible for the most part lately.

 

[eco's bones]

I would have thought that if anyone on our team might have benefited from the Olympic break it would have been Brad. Over two weeks of resting up and...he's been a passenger down the stretch. It's not because of him we're making a run at the playoffs right now. Defensively he's a problem and the remarks to the press he made about Callahan after Ryan was traded to whatever degree they were true or not should not have been made by someone with the savvy he's supposed to have.

Whatever the case objective No. 1 during the off season should be to buy him out. It should have been done last summer.

 

[AHB*]

Being a class act and a hard worker is the kinda **** they give out 5th place medals for in peewee sports, Riche has been good at times this season but it's way to evident he's done, he shouldn't be on the top PP anymore either because he hasn't done **** lately, go figure that unit has been terrible for the most part lately.

As much as Drurys' contract was god awful, his off-ice actions and his work ethic on the ice, right down to the end, were admirable. I respected him for that. I even thought he was a positive for the team to have. Richards is an absolute detriment. He's setting a bad example for our young players and he's dragging the team down whenever he's on the ice.

His edge/attitude off the ice is also pathetic. He thinks he's a ****ing leader and the only thing he leads in is padding his wallet. The guy is a ****ing loser. He hasn't won **** since before the first lockout and he plays a worse game then guys significantly older then him.

A slug is faster then him these days. However, the thing that drives me ****ing nuts is his behind the back or blind cross-ice passes, on the power play, that are almost always intercepted and taken the other way for odd-man rushes.

You would think that a ****ing veteran would stop doing that **** after it costing the team multiple times, but no, he thinks his stick was touched by Midas and that for some reason, those pucks will land on a teammates stick..

 

[zuckera1]

I would have thought that if anyone on our team might have benefited from the Olympic break it would have been Brad. Over two weeks of resting up and...he's been a passenger down the stretch. It's not because of him we're making a run at the playoffs right now. Defensively he's a problem and the remarks to the press he made about Callahan after Ryan was traded to whatever degree they were true or not should not have been made by someone with the savvy he's supposed to have.

Whatever the case objective No. 1 during the off season should be to buy him out. It should have been done last summer.

Agreed.

Anyone know why his skills fell off as fast as they did? Did he lose his skating ability etc. by not working hard over that one off-season during the lockout? Or was it more natural regression by aging?

It always baffles me when athletes hit a certain age and then just LOSE it. Some guys get old very very fast, and I'll never know why. Brad is 33, certainly isn't young but he skates and plays like he's 40.

 

[AHB*]

I would have thought that if anyone on our team might have benefited from the Olympic break it would have been Brad. Over two weeks of resting up and...he's been a passenger down the stretch. It's not because of him we're making a run at the playoffs right now. Defensively he's a problem and the remarks to the press he made about Callahan after Ryan was traded to whatever degree they were true or not should not have been made by someone with the savvy he's supposed to have.

Whatever the case objective No. 1 during the off season should be to buy him out. It should have been done last summer.

This is a spot on post and I completely agree. If anything, the fact that he has just continued to wane since the 2 week break is even more of an indication that he should be bought out no matter what this off-season.

 

[zuckera1]

For me it's the way he carries himself on the ice. He just LOOKS old. He skates with such a sluggish persona, kind of hard to describe. Kind of like how a car runs when it has >150k miles on it, just doesn't feel right.

 

[Miller Time NYR]

As much as Drurys' contract was god awful, his off-ice actions and his work ethic on the ice, right down to the end, were admirable. I respected him for that. I even thought he was a positive for the team to have. Richards is an absolute detriment. He's setting a bad example for our young players and he's dragging the team down whenever he's on the ice.

His edge/attitude off the ice is also pathetic. He thinks he's a ****ing leader and the only thing he leads in is padding his wallet. The guy is a ****ing loser. He hasn't won **** since before the first lockout and he plays a worse game then guys significantly older then him.

A slug is faster then him these days. However, the thing that drives me ****ing nuts is his behind the back or blind cross-ice passes, on the power play, that are almost always intercepted and taken the other way for odd-man rushes.

You would think that a ****ing veteran would stop doing that **** after it costing the team multiple times, but no, he thinks his stick was touched by Midas and that for some reason, those pucks will land on a teammates stick..

I agree with you for the most part, but I would think he's probably a good leader for younger guys, he knows the game there's no doubting that but hes just done physically. They brought up his shot total during the broadcast last night saying he has way more shots than the next guy like that is some sort of a good thing, while in reality he's out there just throwing pucks on goal because defenders are keying on his horrible skating ability and giving him no room to make plays, so he resorts to trying to be Stamkos out there which has clearly not worked out for him in the slightest.

 

[eco's bones]

Agreed.

Anyone know why his skills fell off as fast as they did? Did he lose his skating ability etc. by not working hard over that one off-season during the lockout? Or was it more natural regression by aging?

It always baffles me when athletes hit a certain age and then just LOSE it. Some guys get old very very fast, and I'll never know why. Brad is 33, certainly isn't young but he skates and plays like he's 40.

It doesn't matter why--it just matters that he's not lived up to the contract he has and that the last two seasons have ended with us seeing a player running on fumes down the stretch. Throw in that the contract that he's not lived up to is a toxic one signed the year before the present CBA and that's enough right there.

If not we'll be lucky to be running through the same exact scenario next year--a decent start from him and a crappy ending. Rangers have to cut bait even if it means Miller or Lindberg next year as 3rd line center. Personally I think Miller's ready for the big time anyway and that Lindberg is probably not that far behind.

 

[eco's bones]

I agree with you for the most part, but I would think he's probably a good leader for younger guys, he knows the game there's no doubting that but hes just done physically. They brought up his shot total during the broadcast last night saying he has way more shots than the next guy like that is some sort of a good thing, while in reality he's out there just throwing pucks on goal because defenders are keying on his horrible skating ability and giving him no room to make plays, so he resorts to trying to be Stamkos out there which has clearly not worked out for him in the slightest.

Nash is catching up on his shot total. Richards is like 8 or 9 ahead of Rick and Rick's played 17 less games. A lot of Richards shots are low %. A lot as well comes from the pwp and I'd venture to say he's had more pwp ice time than anyone else on the team. And Richards when he was successful in the past was always a playmaker--more than a shooter. Now there's more shooting and less playmaking. He's never formed any real sustained chemistry with any Rangers winger in his three years here. Not as in the case in either TB or Dallas--a lot of chemistry with his teammates then. It speaks at least to me that his creativity is not what it used to be and shooting more has not really made him a more dangerous player.

 

[eco's bones]

Agreed.

Anyone know why his skills fell off as fast as they did? Did he lose his skating ability etc. by not working hard over that one off-season during the lockout? Or was it more natural regression by aging?

It always baffles me when athletes hit a certain age and then just LOSE it. Some guys get old very very fast, and I'll never know why. Brad is 33, certainly isn't young but he skates and plays like he's 40.

It doesn't matter why--it just matters that he's not lived up to the contract he has and that the last two seasons have ended with us seeing a player running on fumes down the stretch. Throw in that the contract that he's not lived up to is a toxic one signed the year before the present CBA and that's enough right there.

If not we'll be lucky to be running through the same exact scenario next year--a decent start from him and a crappy ending. Rangers have to cut bait even if it means Miller or Lindberg next year as 3rd line center. Personally I think Miller's ready for the big time anyway and that Lindberg is probably not that far behind.

 

[OverTheCap]

Richards has never really been a hustle player, and his forechecking and backchecking has always been poor, so I didn't think that part of his game would change at this stage of his career. However, I was hoping to see a newfound intensity and jump in his step this season since the organization decided to give him a second chance instead of buying him out after such a poor display last season. Unfortunately I haven't really seen that from him at all - he looks more like a passenger half the time.

Richards has left me scratching my head since he showed up out of shape and unprepared for the season after the lockout. I was a big proponent of signing him in 2011 but he was not the player I thought he would be, and one of the most disappointing things about him is that his character/leadership leaves a lot to be desired.

 

[Made Dan]

I've tried to be fair with him, but I'm done with Brad for sure. Looking forward to his departure.

 

[AHB*]

I agree with you for the most part, but I would think he's probably a good leader for younger guys, he knows the game there's no doubting that but hes just done physically. They brought up his shot total during the broadcast last night saying he has way more shots than the next guy like that is some sort of a good thing, while in reality he's out there just throwing pucks on goal because defenders are keying on his horrible skating ability and giving him no room to make plays, so he resorts to trying to be Stamkos out there which has clearly not worked out for him in the slightest.

My issue is with the way he conducts himself. While I know he's considered to be a veteran, I don't know that I want our younger players learning from his type of persona. My major issues in this regard lie with

A) He never seems to hustle, whether on the ice, getting onto the ice or getting off the ice.

B) I don't like his cocky/entitled persona. As others have said, the whole Callahan thing may have been true, but there's a time to speak and a time to keep your mouth shut. That was a stupid, unnecessary statement

C) He has no intangibles. He doesn't do any little things on the ice. Due to this, his value is nil if he's not producing.

 

[Zamboner]

Being a Rangers fan, we've seen a lot of guys skills deteriorate. It sucks, but is forgivable. Consistently lazy play since the day he got here, and constant apathetic, smarmy attitude, is 100% unforgivable, and one of the reasons why he takes as much **** as he does. He deserves every bit of it, and I can't wait for him to be off this team.

 

[TheDave1022]

I didn't mind his play too much earlier in the season. He has been pretty terrible lately and looks VERY slow. He needs to be bought out after this season. If he were signed for a few million a year it wouldn't be too bad, but that cap hit is terrible for how he is playing and he will only get worse as he ages.

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

Being a Rangers fan, we've seen a lot of guys skills deteriorate. It sucks, but is forgivable. Consistently lazy play since the day he got here, and constant apathetic, smarmy attitude, is 100% unforgivable, and one of the reasons why he takes as much **** as he does. He deserves every bit of it, and I can't wait for him to be off this team.

I think your analysis is off base.

I dont think being apathetic of having a poor attitude really describes Richards.

I think hes just lost it.

 

[Zamboner]

I think your analysis is off base.

I dont think being apathetic of having a poor attitude really describes Richards.

I think hes just lost it.

The lack of back checking, and constant floating to the bench isn't deterioration of skills, but 100% laziness. Most of his awful giveaways, also a product of laziness. He's not pulling the trigger slower, he's making blind passes to nobody, because he doesn't care enough to know if a teammate is there or not. I find his play very lazy.