Can Brad Richards sign with the Kings? (cap issues, pt1)
by Quisp on Apr 30, 2011 4:33 PM PDT
in Free Agency
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PrintOver at LAKi (and I assume elsewhere) there's been a lot of talk about the possibility of signing Brad Richards. Dean Lombardi revealed to Rich Hammond that he has been told the cap is likely rise to $62.5-63MM. I covered a lot of this ground already in a post two weeks ago (Kings cap situation rhymes with pucks) but let's go back over it with Richards (and Lombardi's new cap number) in mind.
The bare bones roster
including all players already under contract for next season, plus the obvious must-signs at (in the name of being super optimistic) absolute bargain-basement prices. They are Doughty ($5MM), Simmonds ($1.5MM), Martinez ($1MM), Moller, Lewis and Richardson (each at $950K).
This roster does not include UFAs Handzus or Ponikarovsky, nor does it include prospects like Brayden Schenn, Thomas Hickey, Viatcheslav Voynov, Andrei Loktionov or Jake Muzzin. The last three of those prospects are easier to fit under this year's cap than the first two (Schenn and Hickey) because, as this will be the last year under the current CBA, there will be no bonus cushion, so all of Schenn's and Hickey's (and everyone else's) bonuses will count in full against the cap, with no allowance (cushion) for going over.
This roster also doesn't include Richards, yet (though it does include his son). Here it is:
- Assuming the highest figure for Lombardi's estimated cap ceiling ($63MM), and the lowest imaginable cap hits for Doughty, Simmonds (et al), this roster is $4.8MM under the cap.
- As I mentioned, this roster does not include Handzus, Poni or Schenn. Or Richards.
How much do we expect Brad Richards to get paid this time around?
The Pipe Dream Brad Richards Roster
- This roster is over the cap by $750K.
- Assuming the highest ceiling.
- Assuming the lowest figure for Richards, Doughty and Simmonds.
- Without even addressing the issue of other signings (Handzus, Poni) or other prospects (Schenn, Loktionov, Muzzin, Hickey, Voynov), at least one salary would have to be dumped to make room for a big UFA like Richards.
- What are the odds of Richards and Doughty both signing at the lowest imaginable figure, and the cap going up the highest imaginable amount? I would say, zero. So I'm going to add another $1MM to the overage, bringing it to $1.75MM.
- In order to clear that amount, this would likely mean salary-dumping a contract with a minimum cap hit of $2.5MM, and replacing that player with someone making peanuts.
- It also means burying Brayden Schenn in the minors and not being able to recall him if you wanted to. But let's stick to the issue of who gets dumped. The candidates:
Kopitar- Smyth
- Penner
- Stoll
BrownWilliamsScuderiMitchellJohnson- Greene
Dustin Penner
Based on Lombardi's comments to Rich Hammond, I think DL believes Penner will have a bounce-back season. He's going to hit the gym. And it's a contract year, so he's got a lot to prove. I think that's what DL thinks, but I know it's what I think. So I'm crossing Penner off the list.
Jarret Stoll
Kopitar/Richards/Stoll down the middle is a pretty expensive set of centers, but would Lombardi sign Richards and then entrust the shut-down center job to Lewis, Richardson or Schenn? That could work in a pinch, but it seems like a risky thing to take on as Plan A.
A safer option would be (in the world in which Stoll is dumped and Richards is signed) re-signing Handzus for a steeeeeep discount at something like $1MM. Would Handzus do that? I guess he might. It's a long drop from $4MM, but he's old. Would he do better elsewhere? Probably, and my guess is, if Lombardi waits like he did with Alex Frolov, Handzus will end up signing with any one of a dozen teams needing a 3rd/4th line center/Obi-Wan, and that will be the end of the Zus era.
Even at that price, would it be worth it keep Handzus at C3? Or would it be better to go with team speed and faceoff proess, in the form of Stoll?
Given the offense is one of the Kings' putative concerns, and given that Handzus seemed to lose a step between last season and this one, I think Lombardi will stick with Stoll (in the Richards scenario). So I'm crossing Stoll off the list, too.
Ryan Smyth
No, I don't think anyone's going to take on that cap hit in trade. Smyth has a NTC and I doubt he would be willing to be traded to a team that is so lousy it needs to add salary to get to the floor. There are some convoluted and wacky scenarios in which a Smyth trade might be possible and might be attractive, but I am saving that for a future post.
But you could buy him out.
This would save us $3MM in cap space right off the bat. The problem is:
- It's mean. Smyth waived his NTC to come here.
- It would create a hole at LW2. Maybe Parse jumps up into the LW2 position (like he was supposed to this year). Is Parse/Richards/Brown-Williams better than Smyth/Stoll/Brown-Williams? Probably.
- But then again, Smyth/Stoll/Williams was one of the best lines in the league for awhile this season. So maybe expecting Parse/Richards/Brown-Williams to improve on that would just be setting ourselves up for disappointment.
- And I keep coming back to the cruelty of buying out the venerable Smyth. I think that would be hard to do.
Matt Greene
Yeah, he's a leader and he's a character. But he's sloooooow and he takes those fabulous penalties. (maybe I'm still too close to the playoffs to be rational about this; factor that in.) And Muzzin, for example, is cheaper and also physical. Is Muzzin ready for prime time?
Or, if not, would Lombardi consider signing a cheaper (Sean O'Donnell-esque) veteran? I can see that.
Another solution would be to give Voynov (or Hickey, but really...Voynov) his shot, and go for the super-mobile offensive d-corps. That certainly would be one way to address the lack of offense this season; though it would come at a significant price in terms of team size and toughness.
For me -- and what do I know? -- trading Greene for a pick is the best of these options. In a world in which I am locked into signing Brad Richards, and have to make room, my preference would be (1) trade Greene, (2) buy out Smyth, (3) trade Stoll.
But that begs the question:
Is it even worth it to sign Richards under these circumstances?
- Signing Richards, promoting Schenn, buying out Smyth and trading Greene, this line up is $616K under the $63MM cap. If that's the cap.
- If Doughty signs for $5MM.
- This is a faster, younger team, with more offense.
- But less size.
- And it would take a certain amount of cap finesse -- and luck -- to make it work. You would have to hope that the cap is closer to $63MM than $62.5MM, hope Doughty signs for less, hope Simmonds signs for less, hope Richards will take a short-term deal. And you have to buy-out Smyth. Which makes you a bad person. Or makes me one for suggesting it.
- There are a lot of ifs there.
- Bottom line, saying "why doesn't he just go out and sign Brad Richards?" is also saying, "which of our expensive players are we going to ship off for picks, to make room?" Not as easy a question. Even with UFAs, you have to give up to get.
- If I had to wager, I think Lombardi will test the waters, Richards will go elsewhere, fans will complain that Lombardi is wishy-washy, Lombardi will quietly double-down on his prospects, and I will be happy.
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Fantastic article
Looking forward to the others, Quisp.
Agree. Richards won't be wearing 'the home plates' next year.
I thought this after reading ‘rhymes with pucks’ a few weeks back, and feel certain after reading this.
I think trades make a lot more sense for the Kings this offseason (unless they go after someone like Ville Leino, who I’ve read will be signed for approx. $3M)… So I did a little research and am curious to get everyone’s take on a move that intrigues me and will hopefullly spark some interesting discussion:
Watching that BOS/PHI game today: WOW, the FLYERS need a #1 Goaltender…
Some would argue the Kings have 2 #1s. I wonder if TM and/or DL think the Kings have 2 #1s. For the sake of argument, let’s assume they do. So…
The Flyers are RIGHT UP against the cap ceiling and Quick ($1.8M cap hit) & Bernier ($1.25M) are as affordable as you could realistically hope to find. Would PHI be interested enough in either Quick or Bernier to send Giroux ($3.75M cap hit) in return? Would Phi ever do that? I’d like to point out that Quickie went into Philly this year and shut them out while Bernier got pulled in a Dec. start at Staples (I remember it clearly… I was there… It wasn’t pretty). So it seems reasonable to me to assume they recognize Quickie’s value, just like Deano, TM & the rest of us.
Even so, they probably wouldn’t unless DL added something else, even though this move provides PHI the cap relief to re-sign Leino.
Assuming they wouldn’t… PHI doesn’t need a 6th D man @ Greener’s price, but could crafty Deano pry Girioux away if he added RW Dustin Brown ($3.175M) and asked for the most mediocre of the Flyers’ 3 GTs in return to make the $ work?
By the looks of things, that’s clearly Michael Leighton, who has 1 yr. left @ $1.55M.
SO… (1) WOULD YOU TRADE QUICK + DUSTIN BROWN, if we could get GIROUX + LEIGHTON in return? (2) Would Deano? (3) Would Phi?
A few points on Giroux for those not in the know: top 6 RW, 76 pts this year, 32pts in 31 playoff games in the last 2 years. plays both special teams, hits people. And he turned 23 in March. Leighton ain’t nothing special but he has played in a Cup Final and only has that 1 yr. left at a reasonable price (for a back-up).
@Quisp, you have a much better grasp on the Kings’ cap situation than I, so I won’t waste any more time by speculating whether it works on our end, but it seems to me that it would based on your good work here.
You bring up a great point about Greene that I hadn’t really considered. I think trading him for a pick and giving a young kid a shot is a calculated risk/aka “least of all evil” scenario. I think a move like this is similarly calculated. Do you have faith in Bernier/Leighton? At least you can sleep at night knowing you didn’t buy out Smyth :-)
In closing, I get that this move would be really risky for the Kings, especially if Quickie is the guy to go. But if trades are the best way for the Kings to improve this offseason, you’re not going to get value unless you give some up. Regardless, “risky” can spark some worthwhile discussion and I sincerely hope this does. Thanks for reading.
Forget it
I don’t think there is any way the Kings are trading a goalie this summer, unless it’s Jones.
I can’t see them moving Quick because he has been the number 1 for two seasons now and Bernier doesn’t have enough experience yet to be handed the job (even though Quick got it with less experience, he didn’t have someone to take it from; at the time everyone who was playing goal seemed to be doing their best to hand the job to the next guy and Quick got it by default because he didn’t totally suck like Labarbera, Brust, Fukufuji, etc).
I also can’t see them moving Bernier because they have spent some much time nurturing him and he still has much more potential than Quick. If I recall correctly, he was also Lombardi’s first draft pick for the Kings so I think Lombardi is going to give him another year to maybe take over the #1 job.
Also, they are both so cheap and if one of them gets hurt you are just asking for trouble. The Kings don’t need to choose yet between the two of them so I don’t think they’re going to.
Any team near the cap would be looking to deal someone like Giroux last.
In Dinglebarn We Trust -- JftC
by Niesy on May 1, 2011 1:09 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions
I totally agree with you, they'd HATE dealing someone like Giroux.
But their goaltending is such a glaring weakness. If they don’t address it, they ain’t closing the streets for parades in PHI any time soon. And their cap situation is so dire, they can’t sign anyone decent. So they could try and pile up some picks and trade a junky contract for someone like Vokoun. The problem is, they don’t really have many bad contracts. Do they give up TImmonen ($6.3M)? Scotty Hartnell ($4.2M?)
That’s why I suggested adding Brown to the deal. PHI already has a load of talented forwards, Giroux would be a huge loss but Dusty B lessens the blow. They get two young players back in return and they don’t have to “Sturm” anyone else off the team.
Who could PHI get for anywhere near $1.8M who’s as good as Quickie? Considering their cap hit, the Kings’ goaltenders are quite possibly the most valuable trade pieces they have. Just like with PHI, it’s not ideal that we look to trade one of our talented, young, affordable goalies right now, but our top 6 is such a glaring weakness… I think it’s something DL should consider if we get a serviceable back up in return.
It’s not they’d hate dealing someone like Giroux, it’s that they’re just not trading him. They’ll trade Carter and probably get more for him (because GM’s are dumb) before they’d think about trading Giroux.
by RudyKelly on May 1, 2011 6:35 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions
They extended him for 11 years, too.
I think Philly should get someone to hold the fort while Bobrovsky adjusts, but I don’t see it happening. Holmgren seems like he’s made up his mind that an upgrade in net is a lesser priority. Maybe that will change this summer, given the FA options. But I’d be surprised.
In Dinglebarn We Trust -- JftC
Strong points Quisp. Sadly, my mind continues to dwell on, and haunted by the name:
Michael Cammalleri
then maybe you'll feel better to consider that if we had signed cammy to his $6MM+ contract, Kopitar would have gotten
7 something, Brown 4 something, and you would have to pick 3 guys making 3 million or more to drop from our current roster.
Wait till this year.
Need some new material
This is a plea to everyone…stop bringing up Cammalleri. He had 19 goals in 67 games and 3 goals in 7 games in the playoffs. Not worth 6 million dollars a year.
Why?
He was never very good for the Kings and has been average for Calgary and Montreal. And he was clearly a guy whose ego was much larger than his skill set.
And...
…last thing needed is another “smaller” player in the lineup
Are Teemu Selanne and Melanie Griffith Twins?
Well, to play Devil’s advocate — a speedy sniper type would be very handy. And he was an impact player in last year’s playoffs, too.
I don’t know if the personality/attitude conflicts or whatever could have been worked out, but I would say he’s the type of player we need.
In Dinglebarn We Trust -- JftC
a little luck is required
i have high hopes for moller (no matter what helene elliot says) and toffoli as snipers of the future
Wait till this year.
How many are?
For sure? At least 2: Marian Hossa and Ilya Kovalchuk. We traded Cammalleri for a first, sucked and got a higher draft pick, then got Smyth instead, whose cap hit is about as much but whose deal ends earlier. We probably would have been better the past 3 seasons with Cammy, but we’ll be better the next 3 without him.
Also, Smyth and Cammalleri have scored the exact same number of goals over the past 2 years. Strange.
i have high hopes for moller
I look forward to Oscar Moller making a highlight reel pass on an overtime goal for some other team next season.
For sure? At least 2: Marian Hossa and Ilya Kovalchuk.
Right — and who else, who might actually be available? Semin? Maybe next year. A big maybe.
Smyth scoring the same amount of goals as Cammalleri over the last two regular seasons (though definitely not the post-season) is nice, but we could still use speed up front. Smyth doesn’t bring that. It’s good that we will have capspace to sign a better sniper than Cammalleri — if that ever happens — but I totally get where people are coming from when they say that he would be better than no sniper at all.
In Dinglebarn We Trust -- JftC
We need to exchange some defensive young talent for some offensive young talent
I have no idea where or what is available, but it is logical no?
well, the thing is, we have lots of offensive young talent
schenn, loktionov, moller, toffoli, kitsyn — and those are all top-six guys. kopitar, brown, williams — that’s half the top six. penner, smyth and stoll are all UFA a year from now. three of the prospects i mentioned are nhl ready or will be by 2012. and I am comfortable saying that one of toffoli or kitsyn will make the team in a couple of years. maybe both.
Wait till this year.
That logic alone would ...
… keep us out of the race for expensive summer deals.
All RFAs are getting their mandated 105% QOs except Doughty.
Doughty could go either way. It’s a pay me now or pay me later kind of deal.
by Cirtes on May 1, 2011 6:03 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Richards did not play well at all after his concussion
Of course that could be remedied with rest, but it does make me leery of the Kings signing him…
And we need Scott Parse for an entire season… Lord knows the Kings need some speed in their lineup…
Go away, or pass away. Your choice.
Barca Blaugranes
We do not need a center. Make moves and shift people around, but not to get a center. Even if one were to go after a center, not Brad Richards. He’s not good enough to warrant screwing up your team, he’s damaged goods, and he’ll be expensive.
We need a puck-handling 2nd-line right-winger to play alongside Stoll and Smyth, neither of whom are going anywhere, neither of whom can carry the puck worth a darn. That gives us a second line with a play-maker, a shooter (Stoll-who should be prohibited from ever shooting another slap shot-hello, it’s your snap-shot that works best), and net-presence with Smyth.
We need a puck-handling 2nd-line right-winger to play alongside Stoll and Smyth
I expect Stoll to be the 3rd or 4th line center next season. Based on the players the Kings have I would not make any moves this summer, bring up Lokti, Schenn, and Voinov, and see how things look after 20 games skating as follows-
Penner-Kopitar-Williams
Parse-Loktionov-Brown
Clifford-Richardson-Simmonds
Smyth-Stoll-Schenn
Doughty-Johnson
Mitchell-Voinov
Scuderi-Martinez
I’m disappointed that it doesn’t leave room for Moller, but I would have no problem switching him in for Parse, Brown, or Stoll. If having Schenn in the lineup is going to put them over the cap he could skate in his spot too. I would definitely keep him up as a spare forward no matter what instead of keeping him in Manchester.
I see what you’re saying, but I’m assuming Schenn will get around 3m/year on his entry level contract.
EVEN IF I’M WRONG ABOUT THAT, it’s still gotta be one of the most expensive 4th lines in the league. Why waste a year of the Schenn contract putting him on the 4th line? Better off putting him as the 1c or 2c on the monarchs and let him develop his scoring.
As an oiler fan, I’m disappointed to learn that we have actually started letting down the fans of another team. With all the options available, you chose to highlight the 4 worst contracts you have: ALL FOUR OF THEM ARE FORMER OILERS
WELCOME TO THE BLACKHOLE THAT IS ASSOCIATION WITH THE OIL!
Also, go oil 2014……..
by Ca$h-Money! on May 1, 2011 3:31 AM PDT reply actions 3 recs
With this being the last year of the CBA, and the bonuses all counting...
…all of a sudden our Cap space picture comes to light.
We have the luxury of fitting in our UFAs and simply passing on a UFA like Richards, because Dean has been so frugal with his signings.
How about if your team is already up against the wall minus the bonuses?
I think Matt Greene is on the block regardless
maybe I’ve seen him flip one too many pucks over the glass in the defensive zone but I feel like Muzzin is ready. The games he got early in the season looked good, but then again, that was 6-7 months ago at this point.
If the opportunity arises, I think dealing Greene would make fiscal sense. I love the guy, but thats life.
There HAS to be other options than Richards...
No matter how you spin it I just don’t see how it is worth it to juggle our personnel in order to bring this guy in. Don’t get me wrong, he is a fantastic player. I guess that I don’t understand why we are not thinking more about our own prospects and getting them into the fold. Maybe it burns a year (meaning next year is ultimately a bust) but if it means that chemistry gets to develop with all of the young players (regardless of the odd pieces that get inserted/removed) we have, is that not in our best interests long term?
For cap purposes I honestly feel that Smyth will need to be bought out. It sucks. I understand. I like the guy but does that also mean we HAVE to keep him, especially as he is on the downside of being on the downside? My loyalties are to the team and not any one player.
All things are subject to interpretation whichever interpretation prevails at a given time is a function of power and not truth. -Friedrich Nietzsche
I don’t see Smyth being bought out. Yeah, it would help our cap situation, but it only saves us about $2 million in cap space. This is because the cap hit will go from $6.25 million to $3.25 million, but then we have to sign someone to take his place in filling out the lineup which costs a minimum of about $1 million so really it only saves $2 million this year (and that is with replacing him with a very cheap prospect or other FA). In addition, we would then have $1.5 million cap hit for the following season instead of being off the hook entirely by not buying him out.
This isn’t the case of his play completely dropping off either or actually hurting the team (like Redden in NY was) as he still is good at screening the goalie, working the puck behind the net on the cycle and getting rebound/tip goals. I would be very surprised if DL buys him out.
Randy Jones and Teddy Purcell
Those bums just made a brilliant pair of passes to set up Lecavalier for the winner in Game 2 of the Bolts-Caps series. Despicable.
randy jones, when not concussed, is a good defenseman. he was a superhero for us back two novembers ago -- before he got his bell rung
Wait till this year.
Indeed, he was. I remember how he was praised in the comments at LAKI when he scored a key shorthanded goal against Caroline, shortly after he was acquired. And although I never made a study of it, I often wondered how many of those same people who sang his praises quickly made him into a goat when he came back from that concussion-that-was-never-openly-described-as-such.
"Prepare your bladder for imminent release!" — Invader Zim
I Don't See Any Scenario Where Richards Signs with the Kings
The Rangers will offer him more money, a chance to play for his former coach Tortorella, who by all accounts he loves and a chance to cut down on his travel time out East. Plus, he doesn’t go to a division rival of the team I don’t think he really wants to leave in the first place, but with ownership issues, he has to. Considering both the Rangers and Kings got eliminated in the first round, you can’t really use the “Cup Contender” line to get guys to come.
Even if the Rangers don’t work, I think Burke will throw far more money at him to come to Toronto, where they need someone like him desperately, than Lombardi will offer. Lombardi has shown time and again, most of the time smartly, that he will not overpay to get players. Both Sather and Burke have proven time and again that they will. Hence while I think there will be more conversations about this in the future, I don’t see any way Richards signs in LA. And I’m fine with that – I’d rather give Schenn or Lotki a shot this year, and beef offensively on the wings.
Stay the course
Stick with the young talent, sign Doughty long-term, and wait until next summer when we have Smyth/Penner/Stoll’s contracts off the books and perhaps a clearer picture of who will be the Kings goaltender long term.
Assuming we have decent/good health, I think Parse for a full-season, Penner in a contract year, and talented young forwards like Schenn and Loktionov in the line-up will make the Kings a better team than they are right now. Had Kopitar not been injured at the end of the season, I think the Kings would have made a strong push to finish in the top 4 and advance at least a round. That is what I’m hoping for next season at a minimum.
by sstephen17 on May 2, 2011 10:54 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs
yeah – i like this. i actually think it’s in our best interest to sign doughty to a long contract this summer. he’s coming off a so-so year and would be easier to sign then if he were coming off a norris candidate (or possibly even winning).
quisp – is there any way to find out who might be available AFTER next year?
Capgeek has a sortable list of free agents. Not many big UFA names there, continuing the trend.
ESPN has a list of all restricted/unrestricted free agents for 2011 and 2012 broken down by team. Hope that helps.
In Dinglebarn We Trust -- JftC
1) How many goals do we think Brad Richards is going to score? He’s scored 21, 20, 17, 26, 23, 25, 18, 2, 16, 24, 28. Last year was his best year, goal-wise.
His value is as a playmaker. He elevates the point totals of guys around him. There’s no question in my mind that he would help increase the scoring. He can also play wing.
Sure, it could create a jam at center, but DL would be remiss not to try for him. If we were, by some miracle, able to overcome the likes of Sather in a bidding war, someone else would be shipped off. But that isn’t likely. That’s the biggest issue to me.
In Dinglebarn We Trust -- JftC
i really don't think we need another play maker
just promote loktionov moller and schenn and let them play.
Wait till this year.
I wonder if they’re going to come in as wings first. And then do we have both Stoll and Handzus? They’re the defensive zone faceoff specialists, Lewis and Schenn need to get better at that. It’s an interesting problem.
In Dinglebarn We Trust -- JftC
Moller, possibly. I think Loktionov counts as “been there, done that;” Murray has said that he looked a lot more comfortable at center. Schenn… I’d say only if there’s no center spot open. And he might go to Manchester if there’s no room for him at center.
"Prepare your bladder for imminent release!" — Invader Zim
interesting....
not that this completely defines a player’s worth….but this article may help put a spotlight on who’s leaving:
http://hockeyindependent.com/blog/slasher98/34433/
Player Actual salary Goals Amount per goal
3. Alexi Ponikarovsky LA $3,200,000 5 goals $640,000
….
14. Michal Handzus LA $4,000,000 12 goals $333,333
I actually don’t care that much if the Kings end up getting Richards because I think he is slightly overrated but I would still sign him to a short contract at the expense of Stoll/Greene for picks and Handzus to UFA.
Penner/Kopi/Williams
Smyth/Richards/Brown
Parse/Lokti/Simmonds
Clifford/Schenn/Lewis/Westgarth/Holloway
Doughty/Mitchell
Johnson/Scuderi
Martinez/Voynov/Muzzin/Hickey
Also the equity in receiving picks for Stoll and Greene shouldn’t be overlooked considering DL’s excellent draft record.
But of course this is a pretty risky course of action and don’t see it actually happening.
Quite possibly the only LA Kings fan living in Brooklyn, New York.
oops forgot about #15 brad richards jr.
Quite possibly the only LA Kings fan living in Brooklyn, New York.
It’s really not that risky of a lineup. Basically Richards replaces Stoll. I don’t think signing Richards would really impact bringing Handzus back because if he comes back I don’t think it would be for more than maybe 1-1.5 million. The defense could maybe go with two of the youngsters on the third pairing or even sign a cheap veteran for one year.
I guess I meant that I think that Loktionov/Schenn/Moller/Lewis are all better options than next year’s Handzus. But really I would rather the Kings just go with the a full season of Loktionov , Moller (actually play them and be patient with them) and possibly Schenn above signing Richards.
Quite possibly the only LA Kings fan living in Brooklyn, New York.
I think that ties into my main reservation about Richards
The Kings are actually well stocked with center prospects, and all three of them look like future top 6 material. You figure Kopitar is set for a while, so that leaves only one spot for them. Moller can probably do okay on the wing, but Loktionov really should play center. And Schenn is at most a year away from being truiy NHL-ready.
Now, you can argue that over the next two or three seasons (taken as a single unit of time), none of them will make as good a #2 center as Richards would. In absolute terms, I wouldn’t argue against that. But I would argue against it in cost-effective terms, i.e., the most bang for the cap hit. Even after this season, I would still rather have a deep team that can roll four lines in a playoff game than a team that banks on one or two expensive superstars.
"Prepare your bladder for imminent release!" — Invader Zim
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