LA Kings 2015 Year in Review : Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down Edition

THUMBS DOWN TO THE MIKE RICHARDS DRAMA

Ever heard the saying, “Oh how the mighty have fallen?” Well I think that perfectly fits with Mike Richards.  So what happened to the skills of a player that was well known to the hockey world to have “won at every level?”  He was successful and reunited with his exiled “bestie” Jeff Carter in Los Angeles (2 Cups baby) and seemed happy.  The team, culture and system seemed to be a perfect fit for him but yet things just did not work out for either side here.  Sure, there were concerning signs about him before we flipped our calendars to 2015 but who could really foresee things get as low (and disturbing) as they ended up being?

In a move that shocked the hockey world, Mike Richards, THE Mike Richards was placed on waivers by the Kings on January 26th.  Due to his exceptionally large contract and decreasing value, no team took the bait and Richards reported to the Kings’ AHL team at the time, the Manchester Monarchs.  In his absence the Kings started to improve and got on a hot streak (more on that later) while the Kingdom was in complete shock at the events that just had occurred.  In Manchester, Richards played very well by scoring 14 points in 16 games and seemed back to his old self.  This led to him being called back up to “the show” which every Kings fan took as a sign of hope that a dramatic “Hollywood” comeback was in the making, (or maybe that was just me?)  Sadly it was not to be or at least not with the Kings. Richards continued to struggle and failed to pick up his game and assist the Kings in any shape, way or form. Things were so bad that coach Darryl Sutter didn’t even play Richards during the last game of the season when the season was already lost.  The mighty truly had fallen.

What happened next was a series of events that just became another shocking moment of many that plagued the 2014-15 Los Angeles Kings.

• Instead of buying out Richards’ contract as expected, GM Dean Lombardi found an unused (or barely known) loophole in the current CBA and instead “TERMINATED” it by claiming “a material breach of his Standard Player’s Contract.” (Wait, WHAT???) This took the remaining 5 years and $22 million of Richards’ contract right off the books and the cap, giving the Kings some much needed cap space.
• It was then revealed that Richards had been arrested at the Canadian border on June 17 in Manitoba for being in possession and attempting to smuggle the prescription drug oxycodone across the border, which allegedly Richards didn’t have a prescription for, (which is illegal in Canada).  This was the breach that Lombardi was referring too.
• The NHLPA then filed a grievance on behalf of Richards against the LA Kings.
• After months of confusion, speculation and legal mumble jumble, an agreement was made between the Kings’ and Richards’ camp before the arbitration date.  It was an agreement that left many people scratching their heads in confusion. To add the confusion, many NHL general managers cheered and saluted Dean Lombardi for his legal shrewdness while many NHL players (especially those with similar expensive long-term deals) were furious that the NHL and NHLPA agreed to the terms of this deal, (they felt that this result would open a lot of scary doors where general managers could now terminate contracts at will to free up some space at the expense of the player, no matter the reason (excuse).

In the end, the LA Kings received some much needed salary cap space and opened up a roster spot for a hungrier (younger) player. Even though Richards’ contract was placed back on the Kings’ salary cap and technically the Kings were now going to have him on the books until 2032, the annual penalties of this new agreement are minuscule in comparison to what the Kings would’ve had to pay if they had conventionally bought him out as was expected, (remember, no one was willing to trade for Richards, let alone snap him up on waivers so the LA Kings were stuck with some, and I’m sorry to say it, but they were stuck with some “dead weight.”  There I said it and it still makes me sad).  Lombardi came out looking like a genius by finding this “terminating” loophole in the CBA (and learned a serious life lesson) while Richards was still getting the money that was owed to him and became a free agent.  The legal situation from June 17th of course is still pending but rumors have sprouted up that the San Jose Sharks and Washington Capitals were interested in signing the “fallen star.”  Whether Mike Richards does indeed make a “Hollywood” comeback or not in his NHL career, only time can tell but what we do know is that this all ended up becoming a very sad ending to a beloved and important player’s career as an LA King.