Mike Richards And The Oilers?

Quick thought on this Sunday morning, what about Mike Richards and the Edmonton Oilers? Lowetide pointed out an interesting tidbit on his blog on Friday night, you can read it here. In that blog, there is tweet from John Hoven, someone connected with the LA Kings organization.

@mayorNHL: Interesting tidbit… Hearing at least three NHL teams watching Mike Richards court situation closely – including #Oilers and #Caps

Interesting, mainly because there is a lot of baggage here. Of course, Richards had his contract with the Kings voided over the summer due to a breach, turns out he had some legal problems due to trying to bring drugs over the boarder. No small issue, but it sounds like we’ll know by the end of the month what his legal situation is.

Can He Help Edmonton?:

Mike Richards is not what he used to be. The guy that was a heart and soul top-six center for the Flyers and Kings is long gone, at least it appears that way. Mike Richards is no longer an impact offensive player in the NHL, and he saw himself fall down the depth chart considerably last year in Los Angeles.

He registered only 16 points in 53 NHL tilts a year ago and had a lengthy stint in the American Hockey League for the Kings affiliate. It was an ugly season for Richards, the worst of his career by far.

The good news about him offensively? He put up 41 points back in 2013-14 and contributed another ten during the Kings’ run to the Stanley Cup Championship.

Richards is a tough customer, he’s not a pushover. To put it in simple terms, Mike Richards is a tough player to play against, he is willing to play a little physical and does the little things quite well. He’s also a strong defensive forward, a two-way guy if there ever has been one.

In a third line role with minimal pressure on him, Richards could certainly help Edmonton. As a veteran center who plays a two-way role and helps on the PK, Richards could easily resurrect his career in Edmonton. Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins can handle the offensive aspects of the position in rotation up in the top-six while Richards handles the third line duties. It’s a fit for what he is currently.

At 30 years old, Richards also isn’t an ancient player, in fact one could argue that he has something left in the tank to give. The career of a forward usually doesn’t end at 30, especially someone as good as Richards was in his early days.

Plus, if a team takes a chance on Richards, it’s more than likely that his off-ice issues will be resolved. One has to wonder if there were issues behind the scenes last year, Kings GM Dean Lombardi hinted at as much when he brought up his disappointment at giving Richards a second chance and having what happened happen.

What’s Gonna Happen?:

If Richards wants to join a team for a Cup run, then he’d sign with the Capitals, that’s an easy bet. He has some connections in San Jose as well, he played for Peter DeBoer in juniors, so that makes the Sharks a realistic option too. We do know that Edmonton was interested in him over the summer and that they talked with the Kings at the draft about taking him in trade.

I think Edmonton has the most to offer Richards, I think they would be willing to give him a two-year deal as opposed to a one-year trial run. That said, If Mike Richards can return to the NHL, I think he ends up in Washington.

Certainly something to watch throughout the month, however.