I appreciate your responses and appreciate when instead of bashing me with one line responses "like he never listen's or just like's fighting," you actually explain yourself.

Your long post from earlier actually made me feel a bit better about the state of our prospects but I still just have a pit my stomach seeing how LA and Manchester are doing and then look across the NHL to see how Schenn, Boyle, Simmonds, Purcell, and Moulson are progressing. Hell, even Teubert has played 20 games for the Oilers.

My biggest strike on this deal, and I mentioned earlier is Lombardi wants players who care and bleed Kings hockey. Simmonds was that type, a rare combination of skills and determination and now he is gone and excelling somewhere else, bleeding orange and black instead of black and silver. And Schenn, the top rated forward prospect that wasn't in the NHL last year is now heating up and looks great on the power play.

Richards started off hot, cooled, got hurt and now is just not finishing or contributing and the team can't score and in 9th place. He just turned a year older and has 8-9 years left. I just have a lot of questions about this deal and feel that Lombardi/Hextall let there man crush on Flyers hockey get the best of them in this one. They liked the "idea" of Mike Richards, but what we actually got is not anything like we all expected. Considering the assets both Penner and Richards cost us and the impact they are supposed to have and how I have spent more than half my life following this team, watching every single game, attending 10-15 a year, it sucks and is frustrating to see the kids we hoped the see for years to come are traded for established big money players who just aren't producing or helping this club rise up in the standings.

Happy that I can help ease some of your stress but I agree with some of your observations too. Our D kids are top 4 types including Forbort who will in time, more than most I think will be a true #3 guy if not a top pairing shut down kid. Deslauriers can't make the team fast enough for me due to his drive determination and talent. He needs time but I think he will be a favorite of people who like the same things that we do (Toughness, passion and skill) in time.

Up front there isn't a Schenn out there for us yet but I am hopeful that we will address either at the draft or sooner. I was talking with Futa a few weeks ago and he said that he still thinks we have the best prospects overall in the game. When a guy like that has as much confidence as he does in our kids it makes you think. He has told me before about kids who he didn't like and typically shoots from the hip so I respect him.

Not all of our kids will make the NHL and some of them will be with other teams so we aren't in a perfect place but that said we are better off then it seems.

Did you see Peter Harrold have a nice game for the Devils the other night? I was joking about adding him to the list of players who didn't get a fair shake and ended up elsewhere but am happy to see him doing alright and getting another shot at the NHL.

Mike Richards isn't a big guy and his style of play, I fear, will continue to lead to a lot of nagging injuries for him.

That is actually an interesting point about liking the "idea" of Mike Richards, I never really though about it like that. I am happy that Simmonds and Schenn are doing so well, but I guess I still do believe in the idea of Mike Richards. This may be a ridiculous way to look at it, but after watching his whole career, I have always felt like Richards is a guy who can't not win a cup at some point in his career. Now it will be as a King.

Richards NHL 36 is airing right now.

I thought the same thing about Eric Lindros.

After the way he treated the Nordiques? And the whole province? Never in a million years. He was always all about him. And him alone.