Mike Richards (Warning in OP)

[CowMix]

I don't mind Richards play, I mind his cap hit and all the young players that need raises.

 

[KingCanadain1976]

oh no the kings lost a game time to see all the chicken little posters come out. the kings are off to there best start in years. We are 5th in the league people Stop the insanity please. Dean doesn't consider a move till the 20 th game minimum its only game 10 So see you people back at least that point of the season till then chill out

 

[BigKing]

Looking better than last year is not an amazing feat.

Needed to buy him out. Team will probably lose someone who contributes more in order to keep this cap hit until the end of the time.

It's so much more glaring how far he has dropped when he is relied on to score. Nothing against the guy, but the excuses can only be made for him for so long.

Stoll is a better player at this point; if he isn't, he's damn close. The contracts make Stoll better though.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Looking better than last year is not an amazing feat.

Needed to buy him out. Team will probably lose someone who contributes more in order to keep this cap hit until the end of the time.

It's so much more glaring how far he has dropped when he is relied on to score. Nothing against the guy, but the excuses can only be made for him for so long.

Stoll is a better player at this point; if he isn't, he's damn close. The contracts make Stoll better though.

This is kind of my worry.

Again, whole team has been iffy last two games, but if Richards put back in a scoring role can't do that, and he's questionable on the bottom lines too, I love the guy, but that's a big cap hit to eat forever. I just want him to find his role and stick it this season. He's looked faster and better in general but he's looked completely out of place on a scoring line. Hopefully he's got a better showing in the next couple of games.

 

[Herby]

oh no the kings lost a game time to see all the chicken little posters come out. the kings are off to there best start in years. We are 5th in the league people Stop the insanity please. Dean doesn't consider a move till the 20 th game minimum its only game 10 So see you people back at least that point of the season till then chill out

Wrong again.

This is not something that is only being brought up after losses. This has been a discussion that has been going on for a long time, and it didn't cease to happen because the Kings as a team won the Stanley Cup. It was continued as people debated whether a buy out should have happened, and has continued into this season as Richards (while being better) is more or less setting into a role of a bottom six center who plays some special teams. He doesn't really seem to be capable of playing an offensive role, and he has had serious issues defensively at even strength.

We heard last year about the conditioning excuse, or the 4 month viral infection excuse, and maybe those were valid, because Richards on many nights last season was one of the two or three worst players on the team. The problem is the lack of conditioning and 4 month viral infection wasn't preventing Richards from being a 2nd line center like some on here argued, he committed to getting into shape and was healed of his 4 month viral infection and he is what he is, a bottom six center who is owed $34.5 million over the next six seasons.

I understand loyalty, and being loyal to people that got it done for you, but DL needed to have a little bit more Bill Belichek in him when it came to the Richards buyout decision. Like BigKing said, eventually we are going to lose someone who is actually contributing to UFA or be forced to trade someone who is contributing because DL didn't want to pull the plug on his 4th line centers contract. Dean has had far more hits than misses in recent years, and no one is perfect, but I think history will show that not using the get out of jail free card will be a mistake when it comes to keeping the Kings core players together.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I will say, small sample size, but he's at least improved the GA/60 and +/- issues from last year. But we have to see how that goes as the season wears on.

 

[kingsholygrail]

How many points is he supposed to score?

 

[KopitarFAN]

How many points is he supposed to score?

1 million.

 

[KingCanadain1976]

Wrong again.

This is not something that is only being brought up after losses. This has been a discussion that has been going on for a long time, and it didn't cease to happen because the Kings as a team won the Stanley Cup. It was continued as people debated whether a buy out should have happened, and has continued into this season as Richards (while being better) is more or less setting into a role of a bottom six center who plays some special teams. He doesn't really seem to be capable of playing an offensive role, and he has had serious issues defensively at even strength.

We heard last year about the conditioning excuse, or the 4 month viral infection excuse, and maybe those were valid, because Richards on many nights last season was one of the two or three worst players on the team. The problem is the lack of conditioning and 4 month viral infection wasn't preventing Richards from being a 2nd line center like some on here argued, he committed to getting into shape and was healed of his 4 month viral infection and he is what he is, a bottom six center who is owed $34.5 million over the next six seasons.

I understand loyalty, and being loyal to people that got it done for you, but DL needed to have a little bit more Bill Belichek in him when it came to the Richards buyout decision. Like BigKing said, eventually we are going to lose someone who is actually contributing to UFA or be forced to trade someone who is contributing because DL didn't want to pull the plug on his 4th line centers contract. Dean has had far more hits than misses in recent years, and no one is perfect, but I think history will show that not using the get out of jail free card will be a mistake when it comes to keeping the Kings core players together.

Ok here we go again in order to be wrong again i need to be proven wrong once So lets not play high and mighty your not god judge and jury and i and other are tired of it. The only reason its been going on as long as it has is you take every possible attempt reason to rehash the same old things. He a 4th line center not as good has he has been in the past etc etc. The kings have won 2out of 3 cup with a 1/4 final appearance in that 3rd year. Take time and enjoy it and wait till theres reason for concern to start the chicken little stuff Dean doesn't make personal changes till the 20th game or so Untill there there is not point in beating the richard drum again. For all we know dean has told him to change his game to play more consertive. Right now we are 5th in the league why your running around playing chicken little is beyond me.
Dean knows what hes doing and he s been great resigning players I think what he has accomplished in his time in la you would give him the benefit of the doubt. I guess not. He has a plan and i won't be the one to tell him hes wrong.

 

[BigKing]

More than he'll wind up with.

Forget points though. I'd like to see the guy who was a Selke nominee and who played with a ton of a grit. He doesn't score nor does he play good defense. You don't carry a cap hit like his for hopefully a half point a game and poor defense.

 

[Reclamation Project]

How many points is he supposed to score?

I'd be happy with consistent play and 40-45 points.

 

[kingsfan]

oh no the kings lost a game time to see all the chicken little posters come out. the kings are off to there best start in years. We are 5th in the league people Stop the insanity please. Dean doesn't consider a move till the 20 th game minimum its only game 10 So see you people back at least that point of the season till then chill out

Exactly. Agree 100%.

Looking better than last year is not an amazing feat.

You forget about this?

I think its pretty damn awesome if we do better, regular season or playoffs.

If you guys want to flog Richards, I get it. As one of his biggest supporters, even I'll say he's way underperforming. But the comments about the team is ridiculous. We are 6-2-2 and on pace for 115 points, all while dealing with injuries, playing shorthanded and the Voynov mess. Man, talk about first world problems. You guys forgot what it was like pre-2012?

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

I want this Richards to come back from the dead.

 

[BigKing]

Ok here we go again in order to be wrong again i need to be proven wrong once So lets not play high and mighty your not god judge and jury and i and other are tired of it. The only reason its been going on as long as it has is you take every possible attempt reason to rehash the same old things. He a 4th line center not as good has he has been in the past etc etc. The kings have won 2out of 3 cup with a 1/4 final appearance in that 3rd year. Take time and enjoy it and wait till theres reason for concern to start the chicken little stuff Dean doesn't make personal changes till the 20th game or so Untill there there is not point in beating the richard drum again. For all we know dean has told him to change his game to play more consertive. Right now we are 5th in the league why your running around playing chicken little is beyond me.
Dean knows what hes doing and he s been great resigning players I think what he has accomplished in his time in la you would give him the benefit of the doubt. I guess not. He has a plan and i won't be the one to tell him hes wrong.

You always have to be thinking about the future. Stating that keeping Richards was a mistake does not mean one is not enjoying the present. Nobody is saying "Winning the Cup was nice but I can't enjoy it because Richards is here".

Keeping Richards could be a major impediment to winning more Cups. THAT is the concern here.

The second you stop trying to be better is the second you fall from being the best. DL is still getting the benefit of the doubt here but there are some of us that don't see this turning out well unless he is eventually traded or the salary cap increases greatly: and soon.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Someone needs to just steal his '10' and give him '18' back, maybe!

 

[BigKing]

Exactly. Agree 100%.



You forget about this?

I think its pretty damn awesome if we do better, regular season or playoffs.

If you guys want to flog Richards, I get it. As one of his biggest supporters, even I'll say he's way underperforming. But the comments about the team is ridiculous. We are 6-2-2 and on pace for 115 points, all while dealing with injuries, playing shorthanded and the Voynov mess. Man, talk about first world problems. You guys forgot what it was like pre-2012?

You think I was discussing the entire team in a Richards thread as opposed to Richards himself when I said "Looking better than last year is not an amazing feat"?

Appears so.

Is anyone saying this team isn't good? If they are, I'm not one of them. I just don't want one more year of it and Richards cap hit for what he brings could jeopardize things.

 

[kingsholygrail]

Richards is currently 5th on the team in scoring.

 

[KingCanadain1976]

You always have to be thinking about the future. Stating that keeping Richards was a mistake does not mean one is not enjoying the present. Nobody is saying "Winning the Cup was nice but I can't enjoy it because Richards is here".

Keeping Richards could be a major impediment to winning more Cups. THAT is the concern here.

The second you stop trying to be better is the second you fall from being the best. DL is still getting the benefit of the doubt here but there are some of us that don't see this turning out well unless he is eventually traded or the salary cap increases greatly: and soon.

Dean has this all planed out 3 years from now with all sorts of contingency plans. We have a lot of cheap young talent coming to make up for anyone that leaves. I think you and Herby need to relax and trust in dean and our scouts and coaching. I think they have more then earned our trust. We are off to the best start in years and yet this isn't good enough for you . We are also not playing with our top lw center and 3 defense and a very good 4th player. We are 5th in the league How much better do we have to be before you and him stop complaining ?

 

[KopitarFAN]

You always have to be thinking about the future. Stating that keeping Richards was a mistake does not mean one is not enjoying the present. Nobody is saying "Winning the Cup was nice but I can't enjoy it because Richards is here".

Keeping Richards could be a major impediment to winning more Cups. THAT is the concern here.

The second you stop trying to be better is the second you fall from being the best. DL is still getting the benefit of the doubt here but there are some of us that don't see this turning out well unless he is eventually traded or the salary cap increases greatly: and soon.

We saw it with Gomez, Campbell and the like, their will always be a Florida (or someone along those lines) looking to temporarily boost ticket sales with the name, and get to the floor.

 

[Herby]

How many points is he supposed to score?

To me, points aren't the biggest thing. It's just one of many facets of the players game that has fallen off a cliff.

Ok here we go again in order to be wrong again i need to be proven wrong once So lets not play high and mighty your not god judge and jury and i and other are tired of it. The only reason its been going on as long as it has is you take every possible attempt reason to rehash the same old things. He a 4th line center not as good has he has been in the past etc etc. The kings have won 2out of 3 cup with a 1/4 final appearance in that 3rd year. Take time and enjoy it and wait till theres reason for concern to start the chicken little stuff Dean doesn't make personal changes till the 20th game or so Untill there there is not point in beating the richard drum again. For all we know dean has told him to change his game to play more consertive. Right now we are 5th in the league why your running around playing chicken little is beyond me.
Dean knows what hes doing and he s been great resigning players I think what he has accomplished in his time in la you would give him the benefit of the doubt. I guess not. He has a plan and i won't be the one to tell him hes wrong.

1. No one is pulling a chicken little on anything. The decision whether to buy out or not to buy out was hotly debated on this board for months. The consensus was to fit everyone into the cap someone(s) was going to have to leave the Kings. The decision to keep Richards showed, whether correct or not that management thought he could atleast return to a level where he could be an elite third line center. We are discussing this in the ::gasp:: Mike Richards discussion thread. If you don't want to discuss Mike Richards in the Mike Richards thread then you shouldn't have clicked on the Mike Richards thread.

2. As I already said, Lombardi has had many more hits than misses in recent years, but even the best GM's have significant misses, even in the middle of glory years.

3. No one is talking about any moves being made right now, the discussion on Mike Richards and his contract was Always about this coming July when all the key players hit UFA and the Kings were able to negotiate with Kopitar.

4. Does the success of the team warrant overlooking certain players not living up to their contracts?

 

[kingsfan]

Ok here we go again in order to be wrong again i need to be proven wrong once So lets not play high and mighty your not god judge and jury and i and other are tired of it. The only reason its been going on as long as it has is you take every possible attempt reason to rehash the same old things. He a 4th line center not as good has he has been in the past etc etc. The kings have won 2out of 3 cup with a 1/4 final appearance in that 3rd year. Take time and enjoy it and wait till theres reason for concern to start the chicken little stuff Dean doesn't make personal changes till the 20th game or so Untill there there is not point in beating the richard drum again. For all we know dean has told him to change his game to play more consertive. Right now we are 5th in the league why your running around playing chicken little is beyond me.
Dean knows what hes doing and he s been great resigning players I think what he has accomplished in his time in la you would give him the benefit of the doubt. I guess not. He has a plan and i won't be the one to tell him hes wrong.

I told you I like your posts. This is why.

 

[damacles1156]

Richards is here to stay, get over it.

Only way he is gone now, is if Richards himself asks for a trade due to a reduced role. Even then, the Kings will be forced to take on salary to move him.


GET OVER IT!!!!!!

Also how about we let Richards actually finish this season , before the WAHHHHHHHHHH. The guy did dedicate himself to fitness, he does look better. You can't deny that.

Kopitar's contract will take care of itself, Richards cap hit won't even effect it. The Kings will lose someone like Stoll or Williams, if the cap crunch is that tight(which it probably won't be).

 

[KingCanadain1976]

Exactly. Agree 100%.

thanks Kingsfan nice to see you agreeing with me.

 

[kingsfan]

To me, points aren't the biggest thing. It's just one of many facets of the players game that has fallen off a cliff.



1. No one is pulling a chicken little on anything. The decision whether to buy out or not to buy out was hotly debated on this board for months. The consensus was to fit everyone into the cap someone(s) was going to have to leave the Kings. The decision to keep Richards showed, whether correct or not that management thought he could atleast return to a level where he could be an elite third line center. We are discussing this in the ::gasp:: Mike Richards discussion thread. If you don't want to discuss Mike Richards in the Mike Richards thread then you shouldn't have clicked on the Mike Richards thread.

2. As I already said, Lombardi has had many more hits than misses in recent years, but even the best GM's have significant misses, even in the middle of glory years.

3. No one is talking about any moves being made right now, the discussion on Mike Richards and his contract was Always about this coming July when all the key players hit UFA and the Kings were able to negotiate with Kopitar.

4. Does the success of the team warrant overlooking certain players not living up to their contracts?

Lmao. He's discussing Richards the same as you. You don't :gasp: like someone disagreeing with your opinion on Richards then maybe you shouldn't have clicked on the Mike Richards thread.

 

[Herby]

Richards is here to stay, get over it.

Only way he is gone now, is if Richards himself asks for a trade due to a reduced role. Even then, the Kings will be forced to take on salary to move him.


GET OVER IT!!!!!!

Also how about we let Richards actually finish this season , before the WAHHHHHHHHHH. The guy did dedicate himself to fitness, he does look better. You can't deny that.

Kopitar's contract will take care of itself, Richards cap hit won't even effect it. The Kings will lose someone like Stoll or Williams, if the cap crunch is that tight(which it probably won't be).

I don't really disagree with anything you say.

- I agree Richards was out of shape last year, and he was one of the worst players on the team. He is in better shape this year and looks like a third or fourth line center, I think you would agree with that, correct?

- The fact that the Kings may lose a player like Williams or Martinez because they didn't just pull the plug on Richards is what BigKing and I are talking about when we say the Kings may lose out on a contributing or multiple contributing players to keep the fourth line center making over $5 mill a season.

- If you don't want to discuss Mike Richards, why are you in the Mike Richards thread? You know I respect your opinion DMac, but coming into a player thread and telling people not to discuss a player with that contract potentially leaving is a bit ridiculous.