Brad Richards appreciation thread

[RangerBoy]

As long as we don't trade him, I think we could work out a Philly type of situation with him where he doesn't retire but goes on permanent LTIR until his contract expires. He gets his $$$ and the Rangers can spend the cap. Win-win.

You're assuming Richards suffers a career ending injury like Pronger and Savard. What if Richards remains healthy but just can't play anymore? Then what happens? The NHL will never allow the Rangers to put a player without a career ending injury on long term IR AND leave him there for years.

 

[UAGoalieGuy]

Have there been any projections as to what the cap may look like the next few years? I know of the around $70 million number for next season, but doesn't the revenue from the new Canadian TV contract kick in the following season? That would be another big jump in the cap I would assume.

 

[Blue Blooded]

You're assuming Richards suffers a career ending injury like Pronger and Savard. What if Richards remains healthy but just can't play anymore? Then what happens? The NHL will never allow the Rangers to put a player without a career ending injury on long term IR AND leave him there for years.

Philly has been doing this with their players for ages, Rathje for example. At the end of a long career players have in all likelihood picked up some chronic injuries that they can play through but are enough for some doctor to deem them "injured" enough to go on LTIR.

It is undehanded as hell and a risk for sure, but I'm not 100% convinced that they buy him out if he has a PPG+ season. Hopefully they can solve it in the above manner if they choose to keep him. That's all I'm saying.

 

[SixGoalieSystem]

It is a risk for sure, but I'm not 100% convinced that they buy him out if he has a PPG+ season. Hopefully they can solve it in the above manner if they choose to keep him. That's all I'm saying.

The player would have to go along with it. First he'd have to want to retire, then he'd have to accept not filing his retirement papers and instead going on LTIR.

Too much of a risk. I don't see how you can keep him.

 

[UAGoalieGuy]

I think Philly did it with Rathje, Malakov, and Pronger. Although I can't remember if they traded Malakov with a high pick to get him off the books.

 

[Punxrocknyc19*]

I think Philly did it with Rathje, Malakov, and Pronger. Although I can't remember if they traded Malakov with a high pick to get him off the books.

2006/10/01 New Jersey Devils traded Vladimir Malakhov and a conditional 1st round selection to the San Jose Sharks for Jim Fahey and Alexander Korolyuk. it was the Devils that traded the conditional 1st round pick

 

[hpNYR]

We need to use our amnesty buyout this year or else we lose it. A regular buyout goes against the cap.

Understood, but how much will it matter if the cap goes up a good deal? Thats what I was directing my post too. Will the 6 mill be that much of a make or break a few years down the line? Management needs to forecast what the cap will do before any deciscion.

 

[ICanMotteBelieveIt]

Meh, not surprised. Had a feeling he was gonna have a good bounce back season. Highly skilled players almost always bounce back. Figured he'd get to play as a winger with less defensive responsibilities while getting a lot of PP-time and a new coach. Good for his self-esteem. Wasn't wrong, thank god. He's still gonna get bought out IMO.

 

[hpNYR]

Another critical aspect of this is who will be available via UFA if we do buyout richards. Can we replace his production? Can we not only replace but do better?

 

[NYR Viper]

Another critical aspect of this is who will be available via UFA if we do buyout richards. Can we replace his production? Can we not only replace but do better?

It's not just the short-term you have to look at. It's the long-term.

 

[Kakko]

Why didn't the Devils get a penalty from Kovy retiring?

 

[NYR Viper]

Why didn't the Devils get a penalty from Kovy retiring?

They did I believe but it is so minute because he retired so early

 

[UAGoalieGuy]

And the Devils won't have a first round pick this season as well, I believe.

The cap recapture penalty for Kovy is $250k for the next 10 years or so I think.

 

[RangerBoy]

Cap recapture is designed to punish teams which benefitted from the front loaded contract. The Kovalchuk contract wasn't front loaded. Look at the Richards contract. Its basically a 6 year contract. He would retire after 6 years and collect all but $3M. The new CBA now punishes the team.

 

[Trxjw]

He looks great. Hungry for the puck and firing shots from everywhere. Unfortunately, he's really playing for a contract with another team next season. That cap-recapture penalty is too painful to deal with. Gotta buy him out.

 

[HockeyBasedNYC]

Richards has been very good. It pisses me off that he wasn't like this last year because it would've made a huge difference in the playoffs.

His decisiveness, especially on the PP is like night and day. He looks like a PP QB out there (which is what the Rangers thought they were getting when they signed him). His mental frame and confidence has completely shifted from last year. Kudos to him for working hard on regaining that form.

IMO the jury is still out on his game but its obvious that he screwed up during the lockout and didn't prepare himself correctly (or at all it seemed) for last season. He's on pace for 95 points and if that holds up it could really be a tough decision for the Rangers to hold on to him or not. (doubt he gets to 90, but even 70's would make the decision tough)

The Rangers have a lot of options at seasons end (if he stays healthy) but maybe the Rangers could make the decision easier on themselves but trading him at the deadline if they are out of it to a playoff team and get some real good chips back. I am looking far into the future here but his game is very good right now and that should only be seen as a positive for the Rangers.

 

[Jersey Girl]

Unrealistic to think any team would be stupid enough to trade for Richards later this season. Six more seasons remain on his contract at $6.667 million per cap hit, and he's already 33 years old...he'll turn 34 during this season's playoffs. Crazy to even think about that.

Richards is and will remain our problem.

 

[HockeyBasedNYC]

Unrealistic to think any team would be stupid enough to trade for Richards later this season. Six more seasons remain on his contract at $6.667 million per cap hit, and he's already 33 years old...he'll turn 34 during this season's playoffs. Crazy to even think about that.

Richards is and will remain our problem.

Calling me crazy?

Give me a break, its 9 in the morning and I only got 3 hours sleep lol

You're right though. Probably like a 1 in a million chance for that to happen.

 

[IAMREALITY]

Oh, this is the Richards buyout thread. I must've taken a wrong turn. I thought I had been going to the Richards appreciation thread.

In all seriousness though, I couldn't be prouder of him at this point. I knew he'd bounce back, but no way did I think it would be to this sort of caliber. IMHO, he is surpassing his play of even his first season with us. Almost every game he's been the best player on the ice and he's been a joy to watch. Early, yes, but you can tell he's worked hard and prepared himself, and whatever mental demons were consuming him last season at least for now have appeared to have been banished. But good for him. And good for us for that matter. Now let's hope the rest of the team can banish their own demons...

 

[RangerBoy]

Philly has been doing this with their players for ages, Rathje for example. At the end of a long career players have in all likelihood picked up some chronic injuries that they can play through but are enough for some doctor to deem them "injured" enough to go on LTIR.

It is undehanded as hell and a risk for sure, but I'm not 100% convinced that they buy him out if he has a PPG+ season. Hopefully they can solve it in the above manner if they choose to keep him. That's all I'm saying.

I understand what you're saying. Rathje had a hip issue. Did he play again? Savard and Pronger aren't playing again. Unless Richards suffers a similar fate which is kind of weird to be hoping for the player to get hurt,the Rangers will be stuck with him. He will be 34 during this season. Richards is under contract until he is 40. What's the big deal with buying him out after this season even if he scores 100 points? He will have six more seasons remaining on the contract. The Rangers are really pushing their luck hoping to squeeze 1 or 2 more good years out of Richards if they keep him when he will be 35/36 years old. Lundqvist will get between $8M-$9M in a long term deal. You're going to have 2 guys in the 30s tying $14M-$16M in cap space. Even with the cap at $80M in 3-4 years,that's 20%-25% of the cap. The Rangers can't put Richards on long-term IR with body soreness and the sniffles until 2020.

 

[Tawnos]

I would think that buying him out would depend entirely on what viable options are out there to replace him with, provided he keeps his play up for this whole season. I actually think that same calculation also had a lot to do with not buying him out this year.

If the front office makes the determination that they can bring back the free agents they want to bring back and there isn't a 60 point player out there, at least, to fill that hole... there is a chance they don't buy him out.

 

[RangerBoy]

I think Philly did it with Rathje, Malakov, and Pronger. Although I can't remember if they traded Malakov with a high pick to get him off the books.

You're thinking of the Debbies and Louie. Malakhov had a 35 plus contract and he retired. Jersey traded a #1 for SJ to take that contract.

 

[Jersey Girl]

Calling me crazy?

Give me a break, its 9 in the morning and I only got 3 hours sleep lol

You're right though. Probably like a 1 in a million chance for that to happen.

So you're saying there's a CHANCE!

 

[Jersey Girl]

I would think that buying him out would depend entirely on what viable options are out there to replace him with, provided he keeps his play up for this whole season. I actually think that same calculation also had a lot to do with not buying him out this year.

If the front office makes the determination that they can bring back the free agents they want to bring back and there isn't a 60 point player out there, at least, to fill that hole... there is a chance they don't buy him out.

Totally disagree. Not buying Richards out this past summer only committed the team to his cap hit for one more year...they can still buy him out next summer. If they do not buy him out next summer, that's it, no more chances...they're stuck with his cap hit for six more years after that.

It would be absolute Sather insanity to commit another six years at $6.667 million per to a 34 year old Brad Richards, regardless of what else is available over the next six years to replace him. His cap hit HAS to come off the books.

 

[Tawnos]

Totally disagree. Not buying Richards out this past summer only committed the team to his cap hit for one more year...they can still buy him out next summer. If they do not buy him out next summer, that's it, no more chances...they're stuck with his cap hit for six more years after that.

It would be absolute Sather insanity to commit another six years at $6.667 million per to a 34 year old Brad Richards, regardless of what else is available over the next six years to replace him. His cap hit HAS to come off the books.

I wasn't giving my opinion on the topic, but rather speculating on what we might see.