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Try Richards at LW?

OldGreatWestern

Registered User
Aug 27, 2008
509
11
Why not try Richards as a left wing? That salary on the 4th line is too much (yes he plays more minutes due to special teams).

But he was part of that dominant Team Canada line of Richards - Toews - Nash.

Why not try a line of Richards - Stoll - Williams. Playmaker - Grinder - Scorer. Also a pretty damn good and responsible defensive line, especially since they have two faceoff guys for D zone starts.

Making a 4th line of King / Clifford / Nolan on either side of Lewis.
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lumbergh said:
It's not the dumbest idea I've heard on this board.
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Reclamation Project said:
He's not a very good winger and he doesn't like playing there. It's been talked about and tried.
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Oh he doesn't like it? Well he's really not going to like it when this team cant carry a 5 million + dollar 4th line center and sends him to some terrible Canadian team, where he will spend the rest of his years day dreaming about Jeff Carter in the California sun.
 
OldGreatWestern said:
Oh he doesn't like it? Well he's really not going to like it when this team cant carry a 5 million + dollar 4th line center and sends him to some terrible Canadian team, where he will spend the rest of his years day dreaming about Jeff Carter in the California sun.
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A) Why a Canadian team specifically?
B) If he's a $5 mill fourth liner, why would they want him? Likely if he's that bad we'd have to pay someone to take him or buy him out.
 
Weren't there reports that Gaborik didn't like and wasn't comfortable playing at LW when he was traded here? Richards is definitely having size issues in playing a top 6 center position role, so he may have to find a wing position that works to be on a top 6 line.
 
OldGreatWestern said:
Oh he doesn't like it? Well he's really not going to like it when this team cant carry a 5 million + dollar 4th line center and sends him to some terrible Canadian team, where he will spend the rest of his years day dreaming about Jeff Carter in the California sun.
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If he's not comfortable playing there and admittedly struggles, why force him to? It makes no sense.
 
Reclamation Project said:
If he's not comfortable playing there and admittedly struggles, why force him to? It makes no sense.
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Struggle? You are acting like he didn't struggle at center the entire year and get demoted.

I really like Mike. Wish he ripped it up at center w/ Carter on his wing. But the truth of the matter is that he's redundant and overpriced at his current position in the depth chart. I think someone earlier made a good point about size and playing center in the west. So why not try to adapt him to a new role.

I'm not totally opposed to keeping the lines the same, as said, how Sutter roles lines isn't a traditional 1-4. And we won the cup like that. But I just think a 3rd line w/ Richards / Stoll / Williams could be really good and we could give them more ice time than the 4th line guys King / Clifford / Lewis / Nolan.

Either way when the kids and Kopi need to get paid it's going to be hard to keep some of these guys (Richards, Stoll, and Williams) around. But we got time.
 
Struggle? I think we're all aware of his struggles last year. We've all said that he's no good at wing and his strengths are suited for the center role. He's played center his entire career. You can't just adapt overnight in the NHL. If you wanted a Mike Richards complaint thread, I'll direct you to these -

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=1630873&highlight=mike+richards

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=1579695&highlight=mike+richards

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=1401995&highlight=mike+richards

Or just about any other thread posted in the last two years.
 
OldGreatWestern said:
Why not try Richards as a left wing? That salary on the 4th line is too much (yes he plays more minutes due to special teams).

But he was part of that dominant Team Canada line of Richards - Toews - Nash.

Why not try a line of Richards - Stoll - Williams. Playmaker - Grinder - Scorer. Also a pretty damn good and responsible defensive line, especially since they have two faceoff guys for D zone starts.

Making a 4th line of King / Clifford / Nolan on either side of Lewis.
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That's not going to happen, in any way shape or form.

1) Richards is not a 4th line center and wont' be next year, zero chance of that happening with a capital Z. Lombardi already spoke to that post Cup. HE'll either start the season where he ended it, in game 5 of the SCF centering Pearson and Carter or centering the 3rd line with Williams and King. The odds are on him centering the 2nd line with TT moving up (where he should have been all along RW on the 1s line) Gabby shifts back to LW.

2) He's not a LW, can't play LW and is too small for wing. It makes no sense to put him in a position where he can't produce, help the team in any way or contribute.
A handful of games at the Olympics is not the same as playing 82 RS and 20 plus Playoff games.
 
I think you may be correct on saying that Richards won't be on the fourth line, but it will not be 2nd line either, unless the Kings want to drastically alter a lineup that won a Stanley Cup last spring.

I've still yet to see any potential lineup that is better than the one we had last spring, moving Carter to RW weakens the Kings.

I do believe Richards will be given every opportunity to beat out Stoll for the 3C spot, I think that is the long term hope with the Kings, we'll see how it plays out.
 
Herby said:
I think you may be correct on saying that Richards won't be on the fourth line, but it will not be 2nd line either, unless the Kings want to drastically alter a lineup that won a Stanley Cup last spring.

I've still yet to see any potential lineup that is better than the one we had last spring, moving Carter to RW weakens the Kings.

I do believe Richards will be given every opportunity to beat out Stoll for the 3C spot, I think that is the long term hope with the Kings, we'll see how it plays out.
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I agree that every player on that forward group contributed to their long run, game 7 wins and Cup win. But other than Kopi and Gabby staying together, Sutter was very fluid in this lines, esp lines 2 and 3. And as much as I like stability in a line and keeping them together, even when someon on the line is struggling, Sutter doesn't, he moves them.

I don't see how moving TT to the 1st line RW with the best playmaker on the team and it's most gifted forward will hurt him, rather I think it would help him a lot. TT is a far more skilled player and a smarter one, higher scoring sense and IQ than Brown. I think Gabby-Kopi-TT would be a skilled , fast solid first line and putting a rookie on his first full 82 game season with 2 veteran players is much better than him playing with 1 vet and another rookie.

Why can't Brown go 2nd line RW with JC and TP?
I like MR and JW together and that would work because Williams is a top 6 player with that sense and touch. And as they showed in the playoffs, as well as most shifts they've player, they are good together. King wouldn't add much but Sutter worships the ice he skates on so as much as I'd like to see one o fthe kids from Manchester get a shot, Sutter won't move King.

As much as playing Spin Doctor is fun, the only opinion that matters are Sutter's the coaching staff and DL.

I just hope all the Kings stay healthy. They've gone to June 3 straight years and that has to add up on the wear and tear on a body. They've been pretty lucky that way, even last year when JQ and JC were out at the sasme time, they faired well and didn't lose anybody long term.
 
'Brown adds the sandpaper to the first line, something TT wouldn't be able to provide.

Putting Carter and Richards together may or may not work offensively but the results defensively speak for themselves, they have been a disaster in the defensive zone the past two seasons when they have played together, that is something that can't be overlooked.

There is no reason that a third line lead by Williams and Richards shouldn't be able to thrive against lesser competition, and I believe that is what the Kings will hope for going into next season. I think the days of Mike Richards being a 2nd line center on a cup winning team are over, but we saw last year even in his worst season he contributed a little on the fourth line, now it's time to do it on a bigger line, if he can be a decent third line center his contract while bad is manageable, if he can't beat out Stoll he is probably playing elswhere after this season. But with Stoll only signed through this season, Richards should have the inside track to have a bigger role.
 
Why not have Stoll take faceoffs but play wing on the third line with Richards and Williams? I say we just throw poop on walls until the season starts. This offseason is the pits.
 
I would LOVE to see a top line of Richards - Kopitar - Gaborik. It gives Richards an opportunity to play with incredible talent, and moves Gabo to his prefered right side. A third line of Brown - Stoll - Williams is a super talented sandpaper line.
 
'Brown adds the sandpaper to the first line, something TT wouldn't be able to provide.
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I guess we will have to agree to disagree about Brown. THat line was a force from the time Gabby arrived at the end of the deadline, to the end of the regular season without Brown. That line is driven by Gabby and Kopi, Brown added very little, esp 'sandpaper' he was the benefactor of playing with 2 very skilled forwards.
TT is a smarter, more skilled winger with a higher IQ and that would benefit that line. That first line can be a fast, very elite scoring line ,they don't need 'sandpaper', which is better suited for the 3rd line, the shutdown line.
 
I think Richards would be the ideal 3rd line center for us, despite the premium in cost, it makes LA ironclad at center for years to come. I like Stoll a lot, but I think his job will be auctioned off to our prospect depth. It would really hurt to lose his faceoff and defensive ability though, but something has to give. Obviously Richards and Stoll will have to fight for it, but I'd be surprised to see Richards lose that battle.

I don't really like Brown on the first line anymore. He does have some chemistry with Kopitar, but I think he needs to re-earn that spot if he wants it. The lines I want to see are:

Gaborik-Kopitar-Williams
Pearson-Carter-Toffoli
King-Richards-Brown
Andreoff-Stoll-Lewis
Nolan, Clifford
 
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