Reclamation Project
Cut It All Right In Two
- Jul 6, 2011
- 34,135
- 3,783
Speculation: Will Richards Be A King Come Next Season?
- Thread starter Basilisk
- Start date
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Buddy The Elf
Kings!
No offense Herby but I feel like you waste way too much time and energy trying to debate this. Why not let the guy who has built this team figure this stuff out? I get that you have your opinion of the player and we all know where you stand. The bottom line is you want to debate what is or isn't going to happen to him and the ensuing domino effect from that decision. The summer will come and go, how about evaluating what does or doesn't happen then? You just keep repeating yourself and it seems like a lot of people don't necessarily disagree with you on his drop off in play. What I and others seem to disagree with is what happens to him. I don't think for a second he will be bought out. In fact, I'd be willing to make a wager on that. I do think he could be traded but if the Kings do the unthinkable and win another Cup this year, do you really think DL is going to get rid of him? Or Brown? Or that neither has any value to another team?
Also, lots of us have a hard on for Gaborik right now and for good reason. But Gaborik is one wonky stride away from the IR. It is almost clockwork with him. I love him and I want him re-signed but I do think the Kings will get him a reasonable rate because of the injury history and keeping Mike Richards is not going to be his undoing.
etherialone
dialed in your mom
There are loads of other options that could also happen that would make it to where we could keep MR AND Brown AND Gabby.
Will there need to be contraction in another area? Sure, maybe.There are other players on the team that could be moved as well. Does it mean that DL may need to sign 12 to a favorable contract? DL has gotten highly talented players to sign team friendly deals in the past, I would at least say that it is possible that he can do the same with MG. There are loads of other options then those two.
Especially when we have no idea what the actual cap is going to be for next season. Lots of speculation but no hard numbers.
HYORI 1963
Grit & Character
So, we seem to be having varying opinions on whether we should or should not maintain the services of one Mike Richards. My question is, will Lombardi keep or trade/buyout Richards?
I think if we had been eliminated early in the playoffs, then, maybe then, I could see Lombardi doing something. However, now with the level of success we're having, I just don't see it. Lombardi's always been very high on maintaining our team chemistry, so, to extract a guy like Richards from what's working, seems to be counter productive.
There are many pros and cons to trading/buying out Richards, as demonstrated by many posts on the current Richards thread. Personally, I'm ok with either decision. However, this poll is all about what would Lombardi do?
I think if we had been eliminated early in the playoffs, then, maybe then, I could see Lombardi doing something. However, now with the level of success we're having, I just don't see it. Lombardi's always been very high on maintaining our team chemistry, so, to extract a guy like Richards from what's working, seems to be counter productive.
There are many pros and cons to trading/buying out Richards, as demonstrated by many posts on the current Richards thread. Personally, I'm ok with either decision. However, this poll is all about what would Lombardi do?
kingsfan
President of the Todd McLellan fan club by default
6 years at $34 million is $5.67 million per year. This guy just got $4.9 million per year
Last I checked he was coming off a brutal year that makes Richards year this year look like Gretzky and he never posted numbers like Richards has in the past either, nevermind the fact that all the 'intangibles' Richards has like leadership and a major winning pedigree are things Weiss hasn't shown at all. Richards will surely command more than Weiss, especially with the cap going up.
Richards may not get $5.5 million per season, but he'd come damn close. In his worst year in nearly a decade he still potted 41 points and is now on his third straight WCF appearance and likely soon to be his 3rd Stanley cup finals appearance. Dude will get paid handsomely.
Most telling this about that in relation to this thread.... we are down a goal in the dying seconds and who does Sutter send out? Mike Richards.
No, no it doesn't. You don't even have a clue what gabby would want or command on the open market and its certainly not $7 million a year like you suggested.
KingsFan7824
Registered User
- Dec 4, 2003
- 19,541
- 7,615
I'm pretty sure none of us know exactly what the Kings can or can't do with regards to the cap. That's what Lombardi and Solomon get paid for. We should just wait and see how it plays out.
ADifferentTim
Knowledgeable & Pure
Buddy The Elf
Kings!
Exactly. I get people have their opinions of this player and they've been covered ad naseum. I personally find it a waste of time trying to debate how the dominos will fall this summer. Obviously, there are going to be some personnel changes in the summer but I'll leave that to the guy who has done a pretty good job over the past 6 or 7 years. Once he has made his decisions, then I'll evaluate it (as if that even matters). This is coming from a guy who called this season a "wasted season" because I thought our D was gonna be bad going into this season. Shows how much I know...
Buddy The Elf
Kings!
IF the Kings advance to the Cup final, I think there is little chance of him not returning. If the Kings WIN the Cup final, I think there is no chance in hell he is traded or bought out. Simple as that... people ought to recognize who the GM of this team is. I think they'd advise Mike in the exit interviews for the year where he needs to improve (cough, conditioning, cough) and that if he doesn't, he'll be on the market but I really doubt he is moved this summer.
You nailed it.
This is exactly what they are going to do. As mentioned in the OP, team chemistry is very important to DL. Carter comes to mind immediately; even if they are not playing on the same line, keeping Richards on the team is very important to Carter's psyche.
That said, the Kings are not just going to ignore this situation. They will definitely have a sit down with Richards and talk about this lack of conditioning and performance issues, much the same way they did with Penner after the Cup run. I think he will be on a one-year probation, just as Penner was; however, the difference here is Richards is under contract whereas Penner wasn't.
So there is that.
kingsfan
President of the Todd McLellan fan club by default
Little Psycho
Registered User
Dean loves him and i think he'll give him another year to improve on his health and work habits etc., if he stays the same way he'll be gone. It's very unfortunate what has he become, love his character and attitude, but the team can't afford to keep him if he continues like this.
It's near inconceivable that Lombardi gets rid of him before or during next season. Unless some other GM makes a foolish offer, Richards will be given another year. It will be up to him to see if he can turn things around. After that, who knows. If he doesn't turn things around then perhaps the 2015 offseason would be a lot more interesting.
Richards is going NOWHERE. Lombardi has a man crush on him.
This poll should be changed to How many Mike Richards threads will we have before the season is over
This poll should be changed to How many Mike Richards threads will we have before the season is over
HYORI 1963
Grit & Character
I'm not fully convinced it's Richards' work ethic/conditioning. Think back to before his last concussion. Prior to his concussion, the guy was playing with passion, got in the opponents' faces and played hard. Since coming back, he's been more passive and pretty much just ho-hum. I'm thinking possibly damaged goods, or he's just playing it safe.
deeshamrock
Registered User
Thank you for being objective and not as prejudgmental as others have here. What you can look at objectively, is that he was playing terrific 2 way hockey and under a PPG pace until December when something went wrong, 360 in the other direction. A dramatic change that affected the way he skated, his strides ans stamina. All tings I saw in 2011 when he played hurt.
I respect the fact that so many of you are passionate about the Kings but it is disturbing that so many are that quick to cast stones at him and not even consider he's got an injury. Something he hinted at in Feb in a CBC interview when the Sochi list was announced. He spoke highly of the honor of playing for country, about 2010 and how he'll never forget what it meant to get the gold for Canada. When asked about the 2014 team, he said 'Steve (Yzerman) called and we chatted a bit. But it was just a formality. We both already knew that I would not be able to play. The interviewer never followed up, instead he asked about Quick being the USA goalie. But the choice of 'would not be able to' is a curious phrase to use. An injury would do that.
Healthy, he's a much smarter and far more dangerous player than Stoll and AK, JC and MR as 1,2,3 down the middle is a pretty solid trio
He's done everything that's been asked of him this year, a good soldier without any pouting, embracing whatever job Sutter asked, bouncing around on lines, wingers, putting his pound of sweat into the shift. He's been very good in the playoffs, esp in his own enc, great stick work, disrupting play, clearing pucks. being that guy that Sutter can count on with 1 mn left defending a lead. There's a reason he's the guy that SUtter puts out there in the games that the Kings were down by 1 in the last minute. (No MR, no win in game 1 vs Ducks, bulldozing past Getzlaf to get the puck to Gabby w 10 seconds left is built into his DNA) To steal from Bob McKenzie, 'He's a proven winner and pure champion who has more team trophy hardware than anyone in the sport for a reason-he's knows how to win"
The Kings are 13 MIllion under the cap (capgeek) next year with only King to sign, if he's still here. A 2nd cup should make Mitchell think about retiring, given how hard and long that last rehab was and I don't think Greene will be signed Enough for the 6 mill or so Gabby will be offered and 4.5 or so for a D.
Moreover, as has been pointed out and as DL is not shy about stating, he loves MR and so do his teammates, he's won everywhere he's ever played because he's that good a leader.
Conf finals - 2008 , 2010 - led the Flyers who have been playing golf in April (and that won't change anytime soon) ever since. in 2012 and 2014 Flyers had huge holes in leadership when they needed it, round 2 vs NJ (Great defense team w/ aggressive fore-check) and the Ranges series this year. I heard Danny Briere speak of how much they missed MR's leadership in July 2012 (Briere's bunch gold charity interview in canada) and a year later whe n the Flyers sucked all year and missed the playoffs, he said it again. He was in room b4 and after , he'd know.
2012-13 and 14 Kings get there 3 straight years. . This is not a coincidence. and DL is old school, he knows that. Another Cup (and unless a slew of injuries occur, there is no reason to think that won't happen) is 2 Cups in 3 years, and he's been al large part of it.
I think it's three things
1.loss of passion, not completely because he's at least playing better in the playoffs, so I think he's disinterested.
2. Concussions, he's just had too many and I think that pretty much neutered the risk he played with.
3 . fitness, never has been in very good shape to begin with.
1.loss of passion, not completely because he's at least playing better in the playoffs, so I think he's disinterested.
2. Concussions, he's just had too many and I think that pretty much neutered the risk he played with.
3 . fitness, never has been in very good shape to begin with.
If they can move him for a decent player with a less encumbered contract, they should.
That being said, I love him as a player and hope he picks his game up from here on out. Maybe a serious conditioning regime can get him back on track in the summer.
That being said, I love him as a player and hope he picks his game up from here on out. Maybe a serious conditioning regime can get him back on track in the summer.
Agreed, if they can get a reasonable deal for him they should. But if it comes to a buy out, they should wait one more year and have him hopefully train really hard this off-season.
Hopefully he bounces back if he stays.
Raccoon Jesus
We were right there
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