Quote:
Originally Posted by SupersonicMonkey
What if Richards and Gaborik aren't the match made in heaven we all want them to be, assuming we even do manage to get Richards. Then what? That's an awful lot of cap space (approx $14m) invested on two guys.
Approx $3m for a 60p player (Weiss) is good bang for your buck. And allows you to upgrade other areas of the roster.
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That's not reason enough to not go after a player though. If the Pens offered us Crosby would you not do it because he and Gaborik might not be a match made in heaven or because Crosby recently suffered a concussion? What about Ovechkin because he's having a down year by his standards? What if he came here and then decided he wanted to pursue a tennis career? What if the sky falls tomorrow?
"What if's" exist in every situation. You don't discount every situation, especially a great opportunity like this because of that. It's not like we're trying to sign Marc Savard or Sheldon Souray for big money and multiple years. It's Brad Richards. More than PPG player over the past 3-4 years and no signs of declining. He's the game-changer we need. He immediately changes the entire dynamic of the team the second he gets here. And if Gaborik can't get going playing with him, then that's Gaborik's fault, not Richards. We've tried enough centers with Gaborik and he's not doing enough on his own. It's that simple.
Richards is the TYPE of player we need, and he just so happens to be available for zero assets this offseason. Nothing but cap-space. He's in his prime and his game isn't based on dynamic speed or strength. His game is about his vision. He will be a very productive player for another 5 years at least, as long as he stays healthy (a risk with EVERY player).
Weiss is not what we need. He's redundant on this team. We have players like him and he's getting tons of ice time in Florida. I don't want Stephen friggin Weiss being our ice-time leader just so he can hope to crack 60 points for us. That's not what winning is. Richards is an elite playmaker, and he helps us WIN. He does more than put up points. I don't think I need to get into the "trickle-down effect" that Richards would have on Stepan, Anisimov, and Boyle's matchups and confidence, allowing them to slot into much more suited roles.