Quote:
Originally Posted by Caged Great
It's not like he's complete garbage. He'd be our best or 2nd best player this year, behind Hudler.
Why I wouldn't mind it is that it is somewhat similar to the Blackhawks acquiring Brian Campbell when they were still not a good team. He helped take pressure off Keith and Seabrook and was a stabilizing force on their back end and helped them win. Yes they got a mediocre return, but his influence was valuable.
Also, while the cap hit is slightly high (Should be 5.75 instead of 6.67) you will get him for nothing and might get an asset for them to get out from under it. We have 35 million dollars in cap space with nobody really requiring huge re-sign contracts. Monahan is 2 years away from the end of his ELC and none of the other guys need exorbitant contracts any time soon. We do need to hit the floor in the short term and at the end of the contract, teams like Florida would pay to get that contract because they don't have to spend much money and they get a huge cap hit allowing them to keep their costs down while they hit the floor.
Plus he'll help the Gaudreaus, the Monahans, the Poiriers learn how to play at the NHL level and how to win. We need to get players that have winning experience. Hudler was one of those type of guys and while it's not ideal, Richards would be another.
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I actually agree... Richards would be great if he becomes available. If Calgary does move out Cammy, and other vets at the deadline then bringing him in the youth can still be somewhat sheltered and be slowly moved into stronger roles. I like having a top line of vets, and keep peppering the kids into the lineup.
Have lines of:
Glenny - Richards - Hudler
Sven - Monahan - Stemp
B. Jones - Backlund - D. Jones
Bouma - Colborne - McGrattan