Mike Richards

Perhaps no team is feeling more pressure than the Los Angeles Kings as Monday’s NHL trade deadline approaches.

GM Dean Lombardi made some moves during last summer designed to help his team go deep into the playoffs after its first-round exit at the hands of the San Jose Sharks last year. The addition of center Mike Richards from Philadelphia and left wing Simon Gagne from Tampa Bay were supposed to elevate the Kings to elite status in the tough Western Conference. 

When Lombardi locked up defenseman Drew Doughty to a long-term deal just before the start of the regular season, most experts believed Los Angeles had the core of a young, talented contender for many years to come.

It hasn’t worked out that way. Despite the infusion of new talent, the Kings remain starved for offense. In fact, through 60 games this season, Los Angeles is dead last in the NHL with just 2.02 goals per game. The power play is also struggling, ranking just 23rd in the league thus far. 

There are several reasons. Gagne has been out since December with a concussion, and the team is still unsure when he will return to action. Richards has been a disappointment, scoring just 14 goals and 30 points. 

Doughty has just six goals after scoring 11 a year ago and 16 in 2009-10 when he was a Norris Trophy finalist. First line center Anze Kopitar is also off his usual offensive output with just 51 points in 60 games.

Overall, the Kings offense just seems to lack timing and rhythm. After a recent game at the Nassau Coliseum which Los Angeles lost 2-1 and narrowly avoided being shut out, I spoke to two scouts who had seen the Kings play throughout the season. 

When I remarked that the team’s passes seemed a half-step off throughout the game, they both quickly added it wasn’t just tonight, but a problem the team has had all year long.

As a result, the Kings are clinging to the eighth and final spot in the Western Conference standings, just one point ahead of the Calgary Flames. Coach Terry Murray has already been dismissed after the team got off to a slow start and seemed to lack any kind of zip on offense. 

Darryl Sutter took over behind the bench, and while the team got a short term lift after the coaching change was made, the same problems have again emerged for the Kings. Lombardi knows that he needs to produce something in this, his sixth season in LA, or he will be the next one looking for a job.

But what can the Kings do at the deadline? Columbus is making sniper Rick Nash available, but do the Kings have enough cap room to bring in an expensive goal scorer like Nash who is under contract not only for this year but through the 2017-18 season and has a cap hit of $7.8 million per year? 

The Jackets may also make center Jeff Carter available, but the Kings already have two solid scoring centers (on paper at least) in Kopitar and Richards.

The Kings have two young goalies and may be willing to deal Jonathan Bernier who is still just 23 and has a very cap-friendly salary and loads of potential. But if they are going to trade a young potential NHL starting goalie, they will need to get something substantial back in return.

Regardless, changes will have to be made before the trade deadline to get some badly needed offense to Hollywood pronto, or the Kings will struggle to make the postseason. After such high expectations, even another first-round playoff exit may not be enough to save Lombardi’s job.

Even though it’s late February, the heat is on in Los Angeles. It’s being felt in the front office, behind the bench and on the ice.

Look for the Kings to make some major moves in an attempt to salvage the 2011-12 season.  Otherwise, Lombardi won’t be the only member of the Kings organization who will be working somewhere else next summer. 

The Los Angeles Kings can't score, pure and simple.

More importantly, the Kings' inability to put the puck in the net is making it that much more difficult for them to live up to the lofty expectations that they and their fans had for Stanley Cup contention coming into the 2011-12 NHL season.

So it should come as no surprise that GM Dean Lombardi is perusing the hockey world for top-six forwards ahead of the February 27th trade deadline. If, somehow, you got a hold of Lombardi's wish list, you'd likely find these three scorers written down, in no particular order.

Jeff Carter

The relationship between Jeff Carter and the Columbus Blue Jackets continues to deteriorate with each subpar performance he puts out. The 27-year-old center scored a goal in his first game back from a shoulder injury, though he still has only 18 points to show for his efforts during his first season in Ohio.

That's not to say that Carter is necessarily a lost cause. He was a productive player for the Philadelphia Flyers, earning a spot in the 2009 NHL All-Star Game while sharing a line with current Kings center Mike Richards. Hence, a move to L.A. (and back to the wing) may well work wonders to revive Carter's fledgling career.

Still, Carter's contract, which runs through 2021 at a cap hit of $5.27 million per season, is prohibitively expensive, especially for a young Kings team with young talent waiting on pay days. As such, don't expect to see Carter in the City of Angels anytime soon, unless the Jackets are willing to accept peanuts in return.

Ales Hemsky

Assuming Lombardi is more keen to add a goalscorer without taking on a cap-killing contract, he's likely to inquire with the Edmonton Oilers about Ales Hemsky. The 28-year-old winger has yet to discuss a new deal with the Oilers and will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1st assuming nothing gets done.

Hemsky hasn't exactly been the most productive player on the block (22 points in 39 games), but at the right price and with the right motivation heading into free agency, he could prove to be an effective upgrade for a Kings team in desperate need of someone who can put the puck in the right places.

Clarke MacArthur/Nikolai Kulemin

Lombardi also figures to be among the many vulture/GMs circling over the inconsistent Toronto Maple Leafs. The most likely targets? Clarke MacArthur and Nikolai Kulemin.

In the first season of a new two-year, $6.5 million deal, MacArthur has posted 28 points and a plus-4 rating, while Kumelin, an unrestricted free agent this summer, has notched 23 points in 52 games.

Either one would be a welcome addition on the wing for the Kings given both their productivity and manageable contracts, assuming Lombardi doesn't have to give up too much to get them.

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Over the past few days, maybe even weeks, I have been hearing some rather disturbing and irksome opinions from the Kings community about the Mike Richards trade.

These feelings obviously are tied closely to the form of Flyers winger Wayne Simmonds (who has ten points in ten games, including six goals), and the form of the Kings Mike Richards (who currently has just one goal in 18 games, and only three since returning from a concussion on December 22nd).

These opinions that the Kings made a mistake trading away Simmonds and Schenn for Mike Richards are foolish in many aspects. Maybe they have merit in the world of fantasy stat watchers, but in a real life representation, they have little to no value.

People are comparing Simmonds production to Richards. And there are so many variables in it that you can't really compare production. Not to take anything away from Wayne Simmonds, who is having a fantastic season, but there ARE significant variables.

Here are the many variables I personally feel make the Richards vs. Simmonds discussion have little to no value:

1) Linemates Let's start this out at a micro level and get larger shall we? Richards is currently stuck with Jarret 'high and wide' Stoll, and Dustin 'Pancakes' Penner. Combined the two of them have nine goals. Stoll has 1 goal in 17 games, Penner 2 in 24.  Simmonds has recently been lining up with Rinaldo and Schenn, but he has played significant time on lines with Read, Couturier, Briere, etc. etc. In short, he has had a lot more help then Richards. Read, Couturier, and Briere all have more goals singularly then Penner and Stoll combined. It's no secret that in the NHL linemates benefit from each others play, and before Gagne went down for the season Richards had 20 points in 24 games with his friend and former Flyer teammate. Penner and Stoll have been bad all season for the Kings, and since returning to the lineup from a concussion, Richards has had the chance to slot in at center with them. His play has followed suit with six points in 21 games. 2) Situational minutes Simmonds for the first time is playing power-play minutes. It was one of the main reasons that his interest in the Flyers was so high. He was going to have a better chance in offensive situations then he would on the Kings, where he logged incredibly limited power-play time over his three years' time. He is planting himself in front of the net on one of the best power plays in the league (currently fourth), with the likes of Giroux, Hartnell, Jagr, etc. The Kings PP is a meager 21st in the league. Simmonds has six power-play goals and 10 power-play points. That is 20 even strength points in 51 games. On pace for roughly 34 even strength points in 82 games, which is essentially the average he had with the Kings over the last three seasons (23, 40, 30). A production total that people were fine trading away to get Richards in the first place. How many extra points do you think Richards would be tacking on if he was centering Hartnell and Jagr on the power play? 3) System and Coaching The Kings defense first system is smothering to offensive players. Severely smothering. The last 3-4 years they have finished near bottom of the league in team offense, but make up for it in top five finishes in the defensive aspect of the game. With more emphasis put on defense first, especially for a center, you're going to see his production slip. Look at the players who have come in and left from Los Angeles. Ryan Smyth is a good example. He looked washed up and done. He had his lowest ever point total in a full season last year with L.A., but is on pace to break that in Edmonton. A year older, and on arguably a less talented team, but with a more wide open system. Ponikarovsky had only five goals and 15 points in 61 games last season and currently has nine goals and 20 points in 54 games on Carolina, and New Jersey. Dustin Penner came from a wide open Edmonton system, where he had 32 goals in 2009-2010 and 21 at the time of his departure the following season. His struggles are often noted in Los Angeles, having scored just seven goals in 66 games. Again, arguably less talented teams with better or more open offensive systems have increased the production of former players. It's not science. The Kings are incredibly stifling in terms of offense. The Flyers are the exact opposite. They average the second highest goals per game, and sit at 21st in goals allowed per game.  Richards' production, realistically with the system L.A. has, was going to slip. And in the reverse role Simmonds, obviously was going to increase. 4) Injuries Simmonds has remained healthy. Richards had a concussion—one of the toughest injuries to recover from in hockey. And since his injury, his pace has dipped incredibly and many in L.A. have suspected he is playing injured. As noted earlier, he has only three goals since returning from his injury (20 games.)   It's for all these reasons I feel it is not fair to compare the production of Simmonds to Richards in a realistic manner. If you want to compare value, I think that is completely and 100 percent fair. And I think that it is almost equal at this point. Richards has brought a great depth to L.A.s center group, but also has brought forth a realization of deficiencies. While that is a bad thing currently, it's a blessing in disguise for L.A., who now needs to pursue more skilled players to accompany Richards. Simmonds has brought depth and grit to the Flyers PP and forward crew. And he is most definitely a valuable asset that can chip in offensively. It's an incredibly transparent argument, to me. And it's one that has fantasy fans jumping all over the back of Richards and Dean Lombardi. While Richards is not free of blame by any means, the idea that the Richards trade was a mistake is foolish.

In front of a sell-out Staples Center crowd, the Los Angeles Kings got multi-point games from Simon Gagne, Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar and Jarret Stoll as they crushed the St. Louis Blues.

The two teams fought a closely contested first period, the only marker coming from Kings forward Simon Gagne just after the seven minute mark.

The Kings made a series of nice breakout passes, starting at their own blue line, which led to a cross ice opportunity for Gagne that he tucked under the arm of starter Jaroslav Halak.

It would seem that the second period would be just as tight as the first. However, at 11:36, the Kings' Jarret Stoll would give them an insurance goal. Stoll slipped behind St. Louis forward Chris Stewart and buried a behind-the-net feed from Dustin Brown.

It would be only three and a half minutes later when Dustin Brown would get a goal of his own. With Chris Stewart and defenseman Alex Pietrangelo off serving penalties the Kings 5-on-3 would connect. Mike Richards exploited the space below the circle and found Dustin Brown camped in the crease in front of Halak for the cross ice tip in.

Halak's night wouldn't last much longer. 23 seconds into the third period Anze Kopitar collected his fourth goal in five games on an unscreened shot from the blue line that Halak would certainly like to have back.

A goalie change didn't seem to spur on the tired-looking Blues, who were on their third game in four nights. Anze Kopitar lifted a nifty airborne pass from the Kings' blue line that dropped directly onto the stick of a breaking Simon Gagne. Gagne would slide home his second of the night and third of the year past backup Brian Elliot at 6:29 in the third.

The Kings will walk away happy having played a complete sixty minutes and breaking a seven game losing streak to the Blues.

My Three Stars

*Simon Gagne **Anze Kopitar ***Jarret Stoll

Notes 

- Jonathan Quick turned away 27 shots and collected his 15th career shutout, and his 99th career win

- Willie Mitchell played a team high 23:40. Alex Pietrangelo played a game high 25:33

- Anze Kopitar went 11-16 on faceoffs (65%) and Mike Richards 7-12 (58%)

- Slava Voynov replaced Drew Doughty on defense for the Kings and was a +2 on the night

- Simon Gagne had a team high five shots to go along with his two goals.

- The Kings powerplay went 1-for-4 and their penalty kill, 4-for-4

- Kopitar continues his hot play with 4 goals, 5 assists and 9 points in five games. He has a point in every Kings game this season.

- The line of Gagne-Kopitar-Williams have hooked up for nine of the kings 14 goals so far this year

Dear Diary,

I’m a little nervous about Saturday. 

Sure, the Flyers have won all three games this season, and the team looks just great.  But it still seems like only days ago that Mike Richards was our team captain, leading us into the playoffs and past the Devils, Bruins and Canadiens to get so close to a Stanley Cup.

Yet instead, he’s all settled into L.A.  He’s traded his No. 18 for No. 10.  He’s out of Olde City and into the City of Angels.  His Flyers days are in the past and he has become the future of the Kings.

I still remember the day he was traded.  Only hours earlier, I had read on Twitter that Jeff Carter had been dealt.  While it felt a little surreal, losing Carter wasn’t a total surprise. 

What knocked me off my feet was a text message I received a short time later, telling me that Richards was gone too. 

I had heard rumors a few days beforehand, but I didn’t believe them.  And with Carter traded, certainly that meant Richards was safe, right? 

How wrong I was.  And how upset.

All of the media rumors about Richards’ issues with Coach Laviolette and the late-night partying, and maybe his last season in Philly wasn’t quite up to snuff.  But he had been the face of Philly hockey, playing both ends of the ice, the power play, the penalty kill.  He was a Renaissance Man in a city that has needed to feel reborn in the hockey world since the days of Bobby Clarke and Fred Shero.

And Mike Richards was special.  In a city whose fans and media turn on players quickly, it’s not uncommon for the players to resent the sports culture. 

But Richards didn’t resent it.  He embraced it.  Even after being traded, he was genuinely sad to go. 

Most players—even captains—would be relieved.

For all the questions the media has asked about his attitude, it strikes me as a little ironic that he was one of the few stars this city has seen that had such a good attitude toward playing sports in Philadelphia.

Those are the thoughts and feelings that will be stirred up as I watch from the stands this Saturday.  Feelings of appreciation, feelings of nostalgia.  Not regret, not longing for something different.  Just remembering the good.

It will not be easy to see Richards in a new uniform, skating on the ice at the Wells Fargo Center. 

I will feel remorseful for the fact that this city could not quite build a team around him that would allow him to hoist the Cup.  I’m sure he feels similarly sorrowful that he could not bring the Cup to the city he loved.

I will feel proud of him in his new role in Los Angeles, knowing that the NHL has already dubbed the Kings a Stanley Cup contender, simply by his addition.  Maybe there, the fans and media will appreciate Richie without being absurdly critical.

I will feel happy that our new-look team seems to have a new energy and a new focus that have gotten me excited for hockey all over again.  Perhaps this is the same optimism I felt when Richie was a rising star in Philly only a few years ago.

Most of all, I will feel melancholy, knowing that the trade that shocked me so much in June is turning out to be the best, painful decision the Flyers have made in a long time.

The Flyers are a new, better team for having brought fresh faces and a goalie into the city.  The Kings are a top contender in the league thanks to Richie’s veteran presence on their offense.

And, of special importance for this Richards fan, one of my favorite players in finally playing in a city that not only gives him a chance to win the Stanley Cup, but will not put the pressure and blame on him that Philadelphia did.

I am proud to be a Flyers fan.  I am proud to be among the most loud, obnoxious, hated fans in sports. 

But I can admit that Mike Richards deserved better than us.

I’ll be cheering at the beginning of the game to welcome Richards back. 

But I believe I will be cheering at the end of the game because this Flyers team is good enough to start the year with four straight wins.

Even without The Captain.

Diary of a Flyers Fan is compiled by the author based upon interactions with passionate Flyers fans that occur before games, after games, and in day-to-day conversation.  The thoughts and opinions presented above do not necessarily reflect the thoughts and opinions of the author.  The author encourages input from readers for future installments of the series via the Bleacher Report private messaging system.