Mike Richards

The 2011-2012 Philadelphia Flyers have shocked the world this offseason with surprising moves that not only give the Flyers a chance to compete now but also in the distant future. 

The Flyers have moved center Mike Richards, who has been a top penalty killer, top point producer and captain of the Philadelphia Flyers.  The Flyers also decided to move a former forty goal scorer in Jeff Carter. 

These two pieces have been integral parts of the retooling Flyers of 2008 and the Eastern Conference Champion Flyers team of 2010.  These two main cogs of the team have moved on to other teams and have cleared room for moves that change the entire complexion of the Flyers' offense and goaltending.

One of the biggest areas of change this offseason has been the Flyers newly dismantled and reassembled offensive group. 

The Flyers have been able to add size at wing with former Columbus Blue Jackets winger Jakub Voracek and former Los Angeles Kings winger Wayne Simmonds.  Both forwards are very young and talented players who can help alleviate the concerns some may have over the loss of Ville Leino, Jeff Carter, and Mike Richards from the roster.  Jakub Voracek specifically has a great chance to blossom into the potential top player he was meant to be when he was drafted seventh overall in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

The Flyers also expect big things from young Brayden Schenn who is considered by many to be the top prospect not currently playing in the NHL.  Brayden Schenn is expected to slide into a third line center role and be a strong Calder Memorial Trophy contender this upcoming season.

The Flyers have also added the legendary Jaromir Jagr to bolster their offense.  Jagr is a player who can still succeed at the NHL level.  His hands are still outstanding and he is still great at using his body to shield opposing players from the puck.  Jagr's game is not one reliant on blazing speed, so his 39 year old legs should still be able to be serviceable enough to be a top point producer on the power play for the Flyers this season. 

Playing along side Claude Giroux or Daniel Briere will help him become a top point producer in the NHL again following his long departure from the NHL.  Looking at his 9 point performance at the 2011 World Championships against teams that consisted of NHL, SEL, and KHL stars from around the world show that Jagr still has something left in the tank.

Finally, it is important to talk about the signing of Ilya Bryzgalov and how much it will help the Flyers this upcoming season.

Ilya Bryzgalov was known in Phoenix for his ability to carry a non-playoff team to a playoff berth in two consecutive seasons in 2009-2010 and 2010-2011.  Adding Bryzgalov is an immediate upgrade over the tandem of Brian Boucher and Sergei Bobrovsky.

Last year the Flyers went the entire season without recording a shutout.  Bryzgalov over the last two years has had a combined 15 shutouts which includes eight in 2009-2010 and seven in 2010-2011.

Bryzgalov will allow the Flyers' elite defense of Pronger, Timonen, Coburn, Carle, and Meszaros to worry less about every weak shot ending up in the back of the net.  It will allow the transition game to work better and boost team morale by limiting the weak goals allowed by Boucher and Bobrovsky last season.

This team is shaping up to be a very good team next year that should be able to compete for the Stanley Cup next season if Chris Pronger can stay healthy.  Another worry going into this season is a lack of team cohesiveness because of all the new faces in the lineup. 

It is still yet to be known if these issues will get in the way of the Flyers succeeding this season, but we will find out more during training camp in September.

With so much competition in the West, rivalries are beginning to intensify. A perfect example of this would be what is currently occurring in the Golden State. With three possible cup contenders, the division rivalry between teams in California is heating up.

Let's take a look at what each Californian team has to offer.

ANAHEIM DUCKS

The Anaheim Ducks, despite the slump in their final standings over the last few years, are still one of the better looking teams on paper. On top of that, they are built for playoff hockey, and have experienced a great amount of playoff success over the past decade.

The Ducks have been known for their toughness for over a few years now, and have probably the most physical, and arguably overall best number one line in the league right now in Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, and Bobby Ryan.

They also have had a number of skilled veterans, and if Teemu Selanne returns, then they will continue to receive exceptional veteran talent this upcoming season. 

They have two of the leagues highest plus rating defensemen in Lubomir Visnovsky and Toni Lydman, They solidified their defense even more through the acquisition of Kurtis Foster, and Francois Beachemin looks a lot more comfortable back with the Ducks than he ever did with Toronto. Not to mention, Cam Fowler will only get better and could very possibly turn out to be their franchise defender in the years to come. 

Goaltending is an uncertain situation right now, as Jonas Hiller's health is in question. However, if he does perform like he has been capable of in the last couple seasons, the Ducks will have a reliable playoff goalie.

All in all, Anaheim is one of those rare complete teams who are also receiving young talent through their prospects and high picks acquired in trades and offer sheets. With their combination of physicality, toughness, experience, grit and pure talent expect this team to be a contender for years to come.

No matter where they finish at the end of the regular season, if they earn a playoff seed, you had better believe that they have a shot to compete.

LOS ANGELES KINGS

The Los Angeles Kings, although their rebuilding process has been not as progressive as they would have liked, are looking like they are slowly becoming that defined and mature team that they have been building towards.

They accelerated the process even more this offseason by acquiring two superstars who have both experienced a great amount of playoff success, in Mike Richards and Simon Gagne.

Gagne is a proven sniper and helps to solve their issue with offense that they had last season, while Mike Richards is the ideal playoff player who has the rare combination of grit, defense and offensive talent.

The Kings have been in talks of being the best team in the division for over a year now, and they are continuing to improve in every department.They have figured out how to play defense effectively, and they also have two solid goalies who are getting better by season. If LA's offense clicks this year, especially with their significant additions, they could be among the deadliest teams in the West.

SAN JOSE SHARKS

The Sharks are a different story. They have been expected cup contenders for about a decade now, purely on the fact that they have been finishing in the top half of playoff seeds since the early 2000's.

The truth is, they have been one of the favorites to win the cup several times, but have never come close to it.

The Sharks are known for their spectacular regular season finishes, followed by first or second round playoff exits.

They are the NHL version of the San Diego Chargers, who also tend to experience tremendous campaigns that lead people to believe that they are championship contenders, only to disappoint when it really matters.

In the last two seasons, the Sharks have showed progress in being able to adapt to the intensified playoff style hockey, as they have found themselves in the conference finals in back to back seasons. However, it seems like they still need to take it one notch higher in order to be taken seriously as a cup contender.  

But really, there is really nothing that would suggest that San Jose finishes any lower than the top four in the West this upcoming season. The Sharks still have their main core of elite players, and while losing Dany Heatley and Devin Setoguchi, still appeared to have improved in the off season through their acquisitions of Martin Havlat and Michal Handzus.

Some may argue that the shake up was necessary for the Sharks to renew their offensive chemistry and make a better push in the playoffs, but only time will tell.

One thing for sure is that, the Sharks have a goaltender that knows what it takes to win a championship, and a plethora of young talent who are incorporating grit and physicality into their game, something they never had until very recently.

VERDICT?

I am a betting man, and the Pacific division is the last place I would look in to choose a futures division winner.

All I can say is that this growing rivalry is great for the sport, as it looks to captivate the attention of many Californians and draws them into the cold rinks.   

When Bobby Clarke retired in 1984, the Flyers started looking for his replacement from both a hockey and marketing perspective. After decades of coming close to the Cup with flashy trades and superstar signings, the franchise, whose obsession with its own past glories is its biggest Achilles ’ heel, seemed hell bent on bringing up “The Next Bobby Clarke” from within.

Enter: Mike Richards.

In 2003, the Flyers drafted Richards, and almost immediately, comparisons to Clarke
began. During the lockout season of 2004-05, Richards joined the Flyers’ farm club in time for the AHL playoffs. He dominated, scoring 15 points in 14 games as the Phantoms won the Calder Cup.

In 2005-06, he was fast tracked to the NHL and was introduced by team announcers and commentators as “The Future Captain of the Flyers”. The Flyers marketed him as the face of the franchise, signing him to a 12-year $69,000,000.00 contract in 2007 despite amassing less than 100 career regular season points and a whopping one career playoff point.

Richards never lived up to the lofty expectations or comparisons—or contract. From
day one, it was pounded into the fanbase that he was “the guy." Radio spots promoted “Mike Richards and the Philadelphia Flyers.” For the first time in team history, a coronation ceremony was held naming him captain. Beat writers, announcers and commentators referred to him only as “Captain Mike Richards” as if it was now his legal name.

Heavy is the head that wears the crown. As captain, Richards was atrocious as
the team’s representative in the press. He played hard—most of the time. One only need look at his and the team’s efforts during February through April of 2008-2011 to see that he took shifts, games, even months off and that his leadership was spotty at best. He routinely took “maintenance” days off from practice at the ripe old age of 25.  His team’s playoff failures were excused by his youth despite the fact that younger captains like Sidney Crosby and Jonathan Toews hoisted the Stanley Cup.

Six seasons in as a Flyer, Clarke won two Stanley Cups, four major awards (including two league MVPs), appeared in six NHL All Star games, was named to two first All-Star teams, two second All-Star teams and amassed 497 points.

Richards, in his six year Flyer career, had one Finals appearance (which, if one is honest, one would credit that to the Montreal Canadiens upsetting both Washington and Pittsburgh in earlier rounds), one All Star-appearance and 148 less points.

Clarke exceeded all expectations thanks to his own determination, heart and passion that made him one of the game’s all-time greats. His play and devotion were as rare and as valuable as the Hope Diamond.

Richards is a decent two way forward who had the captaincy and its entitlements handed to him before he earned them. The team’s decision to bring in Chris Pronger to assist Richards in his leadership cements this.

Bobby Clarke didn’t need the Flyers to trade for Bobby Orr to teach him how to win; he beat Bobby Orr.

Comparing Richards to Clarke is like comparing the Monkees to the Beatles. One was prefabricated and one was organically great.

Fifteen months ago, the Flyers' Mike Richards was considered by many around the NHL to be one of the leagues' premiere young captains. Many in the Flyers organization compared the young captain to franchise legend Bobby Clarke, and for good reason.

Both played a similar brand of physical two-way hockey. Both possessed exceptional offensive talent. Both played with their hearts on their sleeve and a fire burning in their eyes. Both put the name on the front of the jersey ahead of the one on the back. 

Fast forward to the present day, and the player many thought would go down as the next Bobby Clarke, the next great Flyer, the captain to whom all others in the future would be judged now plays for the franchise in Los Angeles. That shocking turn of events has left many—myself included—wondering what happened? How does a player go from being a franchise cornerstone and city icon to expendable in a little over a year?

I don't believe there is one simple answer to those questions. The key to explaining the situation—like the situation itself—is one riddled with complexities that must be explored and understood. And from where we all sit, we have little hope of doing so. Only those who lived in the Flyers' dressing room and traveled with the team and knew exactly what was really going on behind the scenes can truly know what caused Mike Richards to go from franchise cornerstone to a footnote in just a few short months. 

While I don't believe any of us will ever manage to definitively come up with the magical key to this puzzle, it's certainly possible to sketch the situation in broad strokes—to discuss what we saw from our point of view—and try to fill in the blanks. And that is exactly what I have tried to do in what follows.

From the point of view of a Flyers fan, 2010 was a tale of two Mike Richards. During the second half of the 2009-2010 season, he played with a fire in his eyes and a passion for the game. He led his team by example, always trying to set the tone in some way, whether it be physically, defensively, offensively, or in some other manner. Richards seemed to exemplify what a Flyer captain should be; when I watched him play during that stretch, I found myself picturing Bobby Clarke wearing #18. 

During the 2010-2011 season, something changed. Richards no longer seemed to be as interested in playing inspired hockey. As I said before, I don't pretend to know exactly what happened or did not happen, or what caused or did not cause his departure from the City of Brotherly Love. But I do know that as a fan, the Mike Richards I saw in 2010-2011 was not the same player. He didn't have that fiery passion burning in his eyes. He didn't seem like he wanted to set the tone the way he had in years past. His heart just didn't seem to be in it like it was during the team's magical run to the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals. 

I don't pretend to know exactly what caused this divorce. But I do know that something was different in Richards from 2009-2010 to 2010-2011. Maybe it was the pressure of the ever-increasing expectations, the comparisons to Bobby Clarke, the increasingly strict scrutiny that comes with stardom. Maybe it was related to his party-going lifestyle and drinking habits, as the Dry Island leak seems to some to indicate. Maybe it was that the young Richards wasn't sure how to co-exist in the same locker room with Chris Pronger. Maybe it was that Peter Laviolette's brutal style and abrasive demeanor finally wore the young captain down. Maybe it was something entirely different. Maybe it was a combination of some or all of those factors.  

But as a fan, I must thank Mike Richards for all that he's done for the Flyer franchise. Regardless of what happened that ultimately resulted in his departure, I must say that the Flyers are a better franchise because he donned the Orange and Black for a portion of what I can only hope (as a hockey fan) will be a Hall of Fame worthy career. Whatever the cause may have been, Mike Richards gave the city of Philadelphia a many special memories and magical moments. And for that, I can only hope Flyer fans are grateful. Come next season, we will undoubtedly hate the man we once adored. But in the meantime, it's okay to be thankful for what he has done for the franchise.  

Over the past two months many of the NHL clubs have gone through different changes, via trade or free agency, all in efforts to improve their respective teams.

Perhaps the division that underwent the most change was the Pacific Division. Whether it be the Phoenix Coyotes losing star goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov, the LA Kings acquiring Mike Richards, the Dallas Stars losing Brad Richards or the San Jose Sharks trading away star forward Dany Heatley, nobody can deny that the shape of teams in the Pacific has drastically changed.

But the real question here is whether the changes made have done anything to affect the placement of the teams compared to last year. You can most likely expect that the Phoenix Coyotes wont be making the playoffs after losing Bryzgalov, but will they really sink below Dallas in the standings?

The more important question is not who gets worse, but who gets better? Is this the year that the LA Kings surpass the Sharks? Could Anaheim shock everybody and surpass both?

Less than a month ago I wrote a controversial article predicting that the Kings would not only pass the Sharks for the division title, but that they would also win the President's trophy and see the Western Conference Finals.

Some agreed, most didn't, but the article served its purpose well by sparking a debate that led to the most commented article on Bleacher Report in July. That leads us here, to the continuation of the debate on the Sharks vs. Kings, and who will come out on top this season.

We'll start with the changes to the Kings' lineup. First and foremost has to be acquiring Mike Richards. This is a huge deal for the Kings, and Mike Richards probably wont mind the Los Angeles area too much either—especially at night. You Philadelphia fans know what I'm talking about.

But Richards' off-ice behavior aside, he really is an impact player and a great pickup to improve the Kings' offense. Richards posted 66 points last year, and while that's not stellar, it does imply that he can be an huge impact in the game.

What Richards brings to the Kings that they needed even more is playoff experience. Most of you will remember Richards captaining the Flyers to the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals, before losing Game Six in overtime to Chicago.

Loss or not, Richards' Stanley Cup Finals appearance is something most players on the Kings don't have to their advantage, and that's great experience to have. Provided Richards can separate his off-ice behavior from his on ice-behavior, he should be a good acquisition for the Kings.

Another big pickup by the Kings was grabbing Simon Gagne from the Bolts via free agency. Gagne is a former teammate of Mike Richards, which could certainly work out to the Kings' advantage this season.

40 points in 63 games is production that Gagne can be proud of, but one should take a close look at the games played. Gagne's biggest flaw is his health. Over the last four seasons he's only averaged 56 games per season, so while he is a good offensive pickup, his proneness to injury could end up hurting the Kings (and himself, of course).

But with every pickup is a loss, and the Kings had their share of those. They traded Ryan Smyth to the Oilers. Smyth's production nearly cancels out the Gagne pickup, except for the fact that Gagne is coming with a much cheaper price tag. The main point of this trade was simply to clear cap space to sign Drew Doughty, a topic that I'll revisit later.

The Kings also lost Wayne Simmonds to the Flyers in the middle of the trade for Mike Richards. While losing a 30 point role player isn't exactly something to celebrate, it's not that big of a deal when you're acquiring a player like Richards. And while Simmonds would be a great tool for the Kings, I'm not sure they'll miss him that much.

But the biggest name moved in this whole ordeal wasn't Wayne Simmonds. It wasn't even Mike Richards. The biggest name moved is one that a lot of people don't even know, because he hasn't even played 10 games in the NHL. That name is Brayden Schenn.

Schenn is regarded by www.hockeysfuture.com as the top prospect in the NHL. That's a huge deal if you ask me. Schenn is destined to be an impact player in the NHL, and while this move will certainly hurt Los Angeles in years down the road, this article is about next season, so we wont make too big of a deal out of Schenn's loss.

The biggest deal for the Kings now is Drew Doughty. As I pointed out, Ryan Smyth was traded to clear cap room for Doughty. While that trade was made nearly a month ago, Doughty still hasn't been signed. On the outside chance that Los Angeles loses Doughty, that could make a huge impact on where they land in the Pacific Division.

And now we move to the San Jose Sharks. The team that for the last couple years, much like the Washington Capitals, has had the brass ring dangled in front of their face and always seems to stumble when they come close to it.

Sharks' General Manager Doug Wilson must have become tired of stumbling, because he made a blockbuster move by trading star forward Dany Heatley to the Minnesota Wild for Martin Havlat.

At this point, it's hard to tell who came out with the better end of the deal on this trade. Sure, there was only a two point difference between the two last year, but last season was Heatley's worst—excluding one where he missed 50 games—and Heatley will most likely see better years again. He's had two 100 point seasons in his career, whereas Martin Havlat's highest production has been 77 points in a season.

With that said, it's fairly easy to conclude that Heatley is the better player, but there are other factors to include. San Jose came away with $2.5 million in cap room, which is always a good thing, and they might have acquired a star player that will actually show up in the post season.

Much like Gagne with the Kings, though, the biggest concern here is Havlat's health. His last few seasons have restored his reputation, but the three before that earned Havlat nicknames such as "Glass man," mainly because he only played 109 games over a three year span. Probably nothing to worry about, but those injuries could come back to haunt him as he continues to age.

Before the Heatley trade was yet another deal with the Wild. San Jose dealt Devin Setoguchi to Minnesota in return for defensemen Brent Burns. My take? Great deal for the Sharks. They've needed a good defenseman for a long time. Burns will certainly help out their blue line, but the issue here is that he's only one of six defensemen.

And giving up Setoguchi did certainly give away some offensive production and power plays, as Devin fully earned his nickname of "Divin' Setoguchi." The bigger loss here though is defenseman Ian White. Many people were quick to overlook this loss because White has never made much of an impact, but I think White is better than most people realize.

So if White is good, why hasn't he made an impact? Look at the teams he played for: Calgary, Toronto and Carolina. None of them were exactly phenomenal.

Now take a look at the stats he put up once he was traded to San Jose. 10 points in 23 regular season games, matching his production in 39 games with Carolina. Furthermore, White posted nine points in 17 playoff games with the Sharks.

So while the Sharks will undoubtedly benefit from the acquisition of Brent Burns, its interesting to question what they could've done if they hadn't lost White in free agency.

So that brings us full circle. Which team made the better changes and which team will come out on top? Los Angeles added Mike Richards and Simon Gagne while they lost Ryan Smyth and Wayne Simmonds. San Jose added Martin Havlat and Brent Burns at the cost of Dany Heatley, Devin Setoguchi and Ian White.

Who's going to win the Pacific division? You decide! Vote in the poll and leave a comment below!

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Dear Mike Richards,

My Twitter feed told me the other day that you’ve landed in Los Angeles, and I saw a picture of you online putting on your brand new No. 10 Kings jersey. 

I guess that means you really aren’t coming back to Philly.

I think a lot of us, the fans, were every bit as shocked as you when we found out you were being traded last month. I’ll be honest, I thought you were here for the long haul; I even bought my Richards jersey as soon as you signed your 12-year contract, figuring I would be able to wear it through 2020.

Now if I wear it to games, I’ll get the same looks I give to people who still wear No. 88, won’t I?

For the past month, I have been wondering how we are going to feel on Oct. 15 when you return to town. Former heroes return to Philly from time to time, and it’s hard to predict how we will react.

Maybe you’ll get the Simon Gagne treatment, a standing ovation and hopes that you’ll one day return.

After all, you were the captain. For all intents and purposes, when Peter Forsberg left town, we all knew this would one day be your team. You would be Bobby Clarke, you would be a factor on all parts of the ice and in the locker room, and you would be the first Flyer to touch the Stanley Cup since 1975. 

You were everything that Philadelphia looks for in an athlete. 

You put up numbers without the flash and pomposity that they do in the cities that get the attention. You worked to succeed, something that doesn’t go unnoticed by a city that prides itself on its blue-collar work ethic.

You played defense, and you played it well. At age 24, we saw you set the NHL record for 3-on-5 goals. We were certain that we would get to add to it.

Most importantly, you got your hands dirty, no matter the opponent, no matter the circumstances. 

We saw you go toe-to-toe with perennial goon Matt Cooke after the opening faceoff last October.  We witnessed you persuade hockey’s loudmouth, Alex Ovechkin, to pipe down when facing the Broad Street Bullies. And we even saw you respect David Booth’s demand for satisfaction by dropping the gloves with him the first time you played after his concussion.

In the city that gave us Rocky and Bernard Hopkins, there is nothing we love more than a fighter who has toughness and dignity.

Except, of course, a fighter who has a title. And we never got our title.

Sure, we felt like we were close. We felt like all the pieces were there. That’s why the trade sent a shock wave through the Delaware Valley.

But the fact remains, every hero (and villain) to come through Philly since ’75—Howe, Hextall, Lindros—failed to bring Lord Stanley back. And now, you are one of them, and as fans we think we know why.

Perhaps it’s because you live in the age of mass and social media, but you and that young group of fan favorites could never shake the partying reputation. And over the years, the perception of those players transformed from energetic youths who worked hard and played hard to a few individuals who weren’t willing to give anything for that trophy.

There are those of us who believe we would have won if you (and Carter, Lupul, Upshall and the crew) were straight-laced boy scouts who spent more time shooting pucks and less time shooting Belvedere. By the same token, there are those of us who believe that you took every loss hard and would never want to cheer for a team without the work-hard, play-hard personality.

The truth is, we simply wanted answers. We wanted an excuse for falling two games short of the Cup in 2010, and we couldn’t simply say “Chicago was the better team.”

We’ll never really know what went on behind the scenes in the locker room, but some of us may choose to believe that we do know. Some of us are already jumping on the anti-Richards bandwagon, believing that we would have won in 2010 if Chris Pronger or Danny Briere had been captain instead.

Those fans won’t simply ignore you on Oct. 15; they’ll express their new-found disgust over the playoff failures of the last few years.

They’ll give you the Scott Rolen treatment:  you should have done more while you were here, and we’re glad you’re gone now.

As for me personally, I see you as Donovan McNabb.

You were given one of the toughest jobs in sports: Take a bad Philadelphia team and make it successful, and do it soon.

In almost any other city, fans would say you succeeded. Unfortunately, in Philadelphia, success can only be measured in rings. No number of NFC Championship appearances could make us truly love or appreciate Donovan, and the fact that you made the last four seasons among the most exciting in Flyers history is not enough to make us immortalize you.

We fans are incapable of demanding less from the leaders of our teams. No matter how much we want to praise you for playing for us and putting up with us, we cannot do that without also murmuring that the Wells Fargo Center never got the banner it deserved under your watch.  Those of us who attend on Oct. 15 and see that 2010 Eastern Conference Champions banner hanging over your head will not be able to help but wonder, “What if?...”

I’m writing you, Mike, to tell you that I am truly thankful that you embraced this difficult city even more than it embraced you. I’m writing to tell you that you made hockey in Philadelphia fun again, and that we loved you for it. I’m writing to tell you that I truly believed you would bring us a championship, if given the time.

But most of all, I’m writing to tell you all of this because in just a few short months, I will never be able to admit any of that again.

After all, that’s how Flyers fans are.

See you soon,

A Phan.