Pretty disappointed in Mike's 2nd half of the season.
1 goal is his last 31 games, a disgrace.
You dont pay +$5M for great PK skills.
Agreed, some people talk as though "well sure we'd like more from him but he's here for his leadership and defence etc"
If his offensive game is that awful i guarantee he is not miraculously playing great defensively or leading anyone anywhere.
Richards looked pretty good before his injury. Then again, the Kings pretty much all looked good at the start of the year. That Gagne-Kopitar-Williams line was dominant. I think Richie is adjusting to the new defensive system, especially coming from an offensive system in Philly. He'll pick it up and be a beast if the Kings make playoffs.
I'm thinking LA should switch coaching philosophy and implement a more offensive system. Kopitar, Richards, Doughty and Carter is a personnel far too good to play in a defensive system.
This. LA has a great roster, it's just they don't play a system that takes advantage of that talent. IMO, they could really thrive in a puck possession system, though that might take a GM change because of Lombardi's philosophy.
Richards played a really good Olympia tournament on the 3rd line. Came back to Philly and plays really good Playoffs. He was my favourite player for years. But last year he lost a huge step in his game. He seems to be mentality broken. He donīt play hard, i even donīt recognize him sometimes when he was on the ice.
It seems he has a hard time to come back on his normal level. I really like him so i wish him all the best. But sometimes players arenīt hard or or mentaly tough enough for a long career in the nhl.
Maybe itīs the wrong signal for him to trade for Carter especially when the two never have had chemistry in Philly..... I really wonder why they do that???
They need each other for partying not for playing hockey....
Matt Moulson 28-28-56
Teddy Purcell 19-34-53
Wayne Simmonds 22-18-40
Carter is going to score goals, lots of goals, that move will still work out for LA.
Jack looks like he's wearing the C in Columbus at times...maybe he should be wearing next season? Lots of chatter on the ice, hard play, lots of effort every shift, its like having another Umberger, but on the blue line.
He's put up 2G 2A and is +6 over this 4 game winning streak (yeah, 4 games is actually a winning streak in Columbus this season...go ahead and laugh but its true). I'm still not sure about the pairing with Wisniewski, but its looking better every game.
He is fearless with the puck, seems he should temper that a little at times, but its his style and its working. Niedemayer is the comparison I keep thinking of, but I'm being generous.
He just doesnt have the fire, and nobody knows if its the team, or its his head after the concussion. I think its both. I also think that hes just been jaded from the whole trade experience. He was brought up in Philly, did extremely well there and was a huge part of the team and city and he was basically in paradise and then he gets blindsided by the trade.
His game was declining pretty rapidly in philly. He was making hits maybe once every 20 games, his offense gradually declined and he seemed to lose that fire that made him such a great player. We had a kings ransom for him ( excuse the pun ).
His body looks pretty worn down from the style he plays already.
He definitely needs to step up and provide some offense if they're going to make the playoffs and maybe have success this season. The team's top six is great on paper, but it depends on guys like Richie producing.
I'm just curious what Richards did in Philly to make him so loved before.... other than 'the shift'.
In LA, he stands up for team mates, seems like a good locker room guy and is excellent on the PK... but that's really about it.
I can see why people called him a warrior, but in addition to that I was expecting a player who would be able to create offense. So far I haven't seen much of that if at all.
Clutch. Scored big goals at important times. Played bigger than his size. Great reads. High IQ player. Fearless. Would skate through a wall to win a game.
Will say this though. As far as creating offense, at least under Stevens, I remember that Richards was given a little, shall we say, leeway with conforming to the system. He was allowed to freelance; bail on X and O assignments if he though being in the "wrong" place would get an interception and create an odd-man rush. Since he's such a smart player, this worked for him a lot.
If he doesn't get the same freedom in LA, it wouldn't surprise me if this was at least part of why his offensive game would suffer.
Richards looked pretty good before his injury. Then again, the Kings pretty much all looked good at the start of the year. That Gagne-Kopitar-Williams line was dominant. I think Richie is adjusting to the new defensive system, especially coming from an offensive system in Philly. He'll pick it up and be a beast if the Kings make playoffs.
This just isn't true. Kopitar and Richards were carrying the offense early in the season. Gagne was pretty good too, but players like Williams, Brown, and obviously Penner had rough starts.
Ricahrds has had a few good games since the Carter trade (had 3 assists in one of them) which is hopefully a sign of things to come. But he really hasn't been the same player since his concussion, and like everyone else is saying, the Kings' stifling system doesn't help the offense either.
I think he just needs to find himself a consistent girlfriend to get him more focused on hockey. No I'm not ****ing kidding either. That **** is hard work. Finding a new girl at the bar every weekend wears you out man.
I think he just needs to find himself a consistent girlfriend to get him more focused on hockey. No I'm not ****ing kidding either. That **** is hard work. Finding a new girl at the bar every weekend wears you out man.
During a interview, he said he has a girlfriend back in Winnipeg, who goes to school. So i doubt it's that.
