Lombardi says they will NOT be buying out Richards

[clankfu]

lisa dillman @reallisa
Breaking news ... OK, not really. But Kings will NOT be buying out the contract of center Mike Richards, according to Dean Lombardi.

Click to read more...

 

[Reclamation Project]

Oh no! What are we gonna do with the 200+ threads we have on him?

I would have loved to see the interview where Dean said that. He must have been so annoyed.

 

[Telos]

I don't think there was anyone that thought there was even the slightest remote chance that Lombardi would buyout Mike Richards.

 

[Ron*]

Roster thread.

 

[Herby]

....

 

[Trolfoli]

Thanks DL... Now what do we have to argue about until preseason? There's always the draft I guess...

 

[Scottkmlps]

Cue the, "Yeah, but he didn't say they wouldn't trade him." posts.

 

[KingCanadain1976]

love it so happy to hear this

 

[clankfu]

I don't think there was anyone that thought there was even the slightest remote chance that Lombardi would buyout Mike Richards.

You'd be surprised.

 

[Herby]

Cue the, "Yeah, but he didn't say they wouldn't trade him." posts.

What do you expect him to say...

"Well we're not buying him out this summer but next summer we're going to trade him so we have enough cap space to re-sign everyone"

Come on Scott, you are better than that, you know GM's don't talk like that.

You also know that someone has to go to make sure everyone is re-signed and he is one of the prime canddiates.

 

[Captain Mittens*]

Suck it Trade Rumors and Free Agent Talk board!

 

[Reclamation Project]

Cue the, "Yeah, but he didn't say they wouldn't trade him." posts.

"No one's gonna take that contract."

 

[Herby]

"No one's gonna take that contract."

I thought you were on our side RC

Oh well atleast we still have KINGS17!

 

[TwzKing]

"No one's gonna take that contract."

There have been worst contacts moved.

 

[Reclamation Project]

I thought you were on our side RC

Oh well atleast we still have KINGS17!

I still stand by my statement that if they lost Game 4 that BIG changes needed to be made. I do flip flip now and I'll gladly admit it - they won the Stanley Cup. I wouldn't trade anyone.

 

[Herby]

Well I feel like most people here, even those of us who think MR is done, don't want any significant trades with the Kings this summer.

I think the discussion with this team is about who they have to move on from after they get a chance to defend the cup this season.

And we likely will have answers sooner rather than later. They can start negotiating with all those guys who are FA's after this season (Williams, Muzzin, Stoll, Pearson, Martinez, Toffoli, RR) on July 1st. Makes no sense for any of the younger guys to sign because they will likely increase their value this season, but if you see Williams and Stoll re-signed then I think that answers things.

 

[Peter James Bond]

No surprise. No problem. I just hope MR busts it hard during the season, as he did during the playoffs. He sure wasn't playing that hard during the reg season.

 

[Herby]

No surprise. No problem. I just hope MR busts it hard during the season, as he did during the playoffs. He sure wasn't playing that hard during the reg season.

I still don't buy the not hustling thing, I think the guy is still a solid pro effort wise, it's just that his body and much of his hockey skills have abandoned him. Most notably his speed.

He was really good in the finals, pretty good against Anaheim, laughably bad against Chicago and ok against SJ once he was moved down the lineup. It's not an effort thing, he just needs to be put in a position to succeed, which I think he wasn't for much of the regular season (had no business on 2nd line), early in the SJ series (returned to 2nd line) and Chicago series (expected to check against much faster and talented players).

I think if he is the Kings fourth line center with no heavy defensive lifting or expected offensive production with some PP and PK time mixed in he will be better in the regular season playing against other third and fourth line players.

 

[scramble91]

No surprise. No problem. I just hope MR busts it hard during the season, as he did during the playoffs. He sure wasn't playing that hard during the reg season.

He needs to work on the same program that jw did in the offseason. That was focusing a lot on his quickness (first step). With Richies hockey iq it would do wonders for his game. He was an animal for a few games in the playoffs just breaking up passes...

A lot of his issues stem from his first step IMO. If he regains that over the next few years... It's gonna be a fun ride to watch.

 

[BigBrown]

http://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow/la-sp-sn-kings-mike-richards-contract-20140620-story.html

"But he freely admitted that it was nowhere near where he was capable, and the root is not age or injury. It starts with the understanding that I’ve got to prepare like a 28- or 29-year-old, not a 22-year-old.

"As long as he looked me in the eye and made that promise that he would make the commitment in the offseason …Essentially, I have to trust him. Once that deadline goes, we’re locked in."

Not much to do but hope for the best, that Richards seriously dedicates to his offseason workouts and that it pays off. I still feel the best would be to move him if at all possible, I mean I'm sure the Rangers had this exact conversation with Brad Richards last summer and I'd be willing to bet he got himself in the best shape of his career in preparation for this season but still looked bad and got kicked to the curb... but it goes without saying that I have little reason not to trust Lombardi's decision in this or any other matter

 

[cyclones22]

http://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow/la-sp-sn-kings-mike-richards-contract-20140620-story.html

"But he freely admitted that it was nowhere near where he was capable, and the root is not age or injury. It starts with the understanding that I’ve got to prepare like a 28- or 29-year-old, not a 22-year-old.

"As long as he looked me in the eye and made that promise that he would make the commitment in the offseason …Essentially, I have to trust him. Once that deadline goes, we’re locked in."

Not much to do but hope for the best, that Richards seriously dedicates to his offseason workouts and that it pays off. I still feel the best would be to move him if at all possible, I mean I'm sure the Rangers had this exact conversation with Brad Richards last summer and I'd be willing to bet he got himself in the best shape of his career in preparation for this season but still looked bad and got kicked to the curb... but it goes without saying that I have little reason not to trust Lombardi's decision in this or any other matter

And that's exactly the kind of thing I wanted to read. Work out with Carts in the off-season and rebound. Richie was an absolute terror in Game 5. Disrupting and causing turnovers left and right. He certainly had gas in the tank for that game, but consistency starts in the off-season. Glad he owned it.

 

[jimmy1100]

I still can't believe Mike Richards has become this polarizing to Kings fans.

3 seasons - Win Cup, lose in WCF, Win Cup.

He had 27 pts in the first 32 games of the season and we don't have cap issues this year. Yet, there are people trying to figure out how exactly to get rid of him.

Even those of you clamoring for it to happen after this season baffle me. You want to rush to a decision before it needs to be made, and are doing so under the assumption that Richards won't bounce back AND that we'll need money to re-sign Stoll and Williams.

I don't know what's going to happen, but I think either Stoll or Williams regressing this next season is equally as likely as Richards is to not get any better. Bottom line is, we've got loads of time to wait and watch and make a smart decision based on more information next year. Why rush to figure it out now?

 

[Buddy The Elf]

And we likely will have answers sooner rather than later. They can start negotiating with all those guys who are FA's after this season (Williams, Muzzin, Stoll, Pearson, Martinez, Toffoli, RR) on July 1st. Makes no sense for any of the younger guys to sign because they will likely increase their value this season, but if you see Williams and Stoll re-signed then I think that answers things.

I think Mike Richards will be playing for Jarrett Stoll's spot this coming season. That or dabbling with Richards on the wing.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow/la-sp-sn-kings-mike-richards-contract-20140620-story.html

"But he freely admitted that it was nowhere near where he was capable, and the root is not age or injury. It starts with the understanding that I’ve got to prepare like a 28- or 29-year-old, not a 22-year-old.

"As long as he looked me in the eye and made that promise that he would make the commitment in the offseason …Essentially, I have to trust him. Once that deadline goes, we’re locked in."

Not much to do but hope for the best, that Richards seriously dedicates to his offseason workouts and that it pays off. I still feel the best would be to move him if at all possible, I mean I'm sure the Rangers had this exact conversation with Brad Richards last summer and I'd be willing to bet he got himself in the best shape of his career in preparation for this season but still looked bad and got kicked to the curb... but it goes without saying that I have little reason not to trust Lombardi's decision in this or any other matter

This is what I think most of us were expecting to happen and glad to see it has been addressed from both sides. Like you side, lets hope Mike is able to focus and come in to camp ready to play.

I guess the one positive to take away from it is Mike acknowledging it and not making an excuse.

 

[Quattro]

I don't think there was anyone that thought there was even the slightest remote chance that Lombardi would buyout Mike Richards.

Other than the 38 people who post constantly about that very thing?

 

[Reclamation Project]

This is a pretty candid quote...

"He was very candid," Lombardi said. "The most important thing is he realized he wasn’t anywhere near where he is capable of being. If he’s telling you, ‘Well, I was good.’ Then you’ve got a big problem. If he’s not able to critique himself, then we’re wasting our time.

"But he freely admitted that it was nowhere near where he was capable, and the root is not age or injury. It starts with the understanding that I’ve got to prepare like a 28- or 29-year-old, not a 22-year-old.

"As long as he looked me in the eye and made that promise that he would make the commitment in the offseason …Essentially, I have to trust him. Once that deadline goes, we’re locked in."