BringTheReign
Registered User
Honestly, I think without Mike Richards on this team, we are contenders, but we aren't serious Stanley Cup contenders. He came up absolutely HUGE on the PK these playoffs and turned Kyle Clifford and Trevor Lewis into offensive threats playing on the 4th line. He also came up big again when Sutter bumped him up to play with Pearson and Carter during the Finals. I also think it's hilarious that people here are downplaying Lombardi's tendency to acquire guys with winning pedigrees and intangibles rather than just skill in an attempt to lessen Richards' impact on this team. News flash, that same philosophy that took so long to build a team that could make the playoffs has now won us 2 Cups in 3 years! Has it gone to our heads already even after so many years of lacking exactly that winning pedigree?
I also don't understand people complaining about his production. Last season he was almost 0.66 ppg, and this season he was exactly 0.5 ppg with less offensive responsibility. What a shock, he's given a more defensive role and he doesn't put up as many points, who would've thought? Not to mention the fact that Brown had an abysmal year as far as production goes playing with better linemates on a more expensive cap hit. And then there are the people who point to his numbers in Philly and cry that he isn't the offensive player he is anymore. Well sure, he didn't have to play behind Kopitar and Carter in Philly, in fact, he played on the same damn line as the latter and was expected to be the focal point of the offense! This is on top of the fact that the Philly team he played for basically let Richards play any way he damn well pleased rather than the system Sutter implements for our guys. As for the playoffs, people forget he was arguably our best player last year despite being injured, just behind Carter in production.
I'm all for keeping Gaborik, but getting rid of Richards is not the way to go about it, at least right now. I'm confident Lombardi will find a way to do both, even if it means letting go of Greene or Mitchell.
I also don't understand people complaining about his production. Last season he was almost 0.66 ppg, and this season he was exactly 0.5 ppg with less offensive responsibility. What a shock, he's given a more defensive role and he doesn't put up as many points, who would've thought? Not to mention the fact that Brown had an abysmal year as far as production goes playing with better linemates on a more expensive cap hit. And then there are the people who point to his numbers in Philly and cry that he isn't the offensive player he is anymore. Well sure, he didn't have to play behind Kopitar and Carter in Philly, in fact, he played on the same damn line as the latter and was expected to be the focal point of the offense! This is on top of the fact that the Philly team he played for basically let Richards play any way he damn well pleased rather than the system Sutter implements for our guys. As for the playoffs, people forget he was arguably our best player last year despite being injured, just behind Carter in production.
I'm all for keeping Gaborik, but getting rid of Richards is not the way to go about it, at least right now. I'm confident Lombardi will find a way to do both, even if it means letting go of Greene or Mitchell.
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