[Dion]

"I don't expect him to get picked up on waivers," Lombardi said. "But, there's still time here. He knows what he has to do. That part I am not questioning. The way the schedule is down there, it allows him to get his innings in and conceivably he could be back here. That's the way we're approaching this. That's the short term.

"On the long term, he could be a different player. If you remember when Teemu Selanne when he went to Colorado it looked like he was done. He looked done. But all of sudden things changed. He went on for a longer career. They're different players but I see no reason why this can't happen here, either."

The Kings GM also underlined the importance of Richards in the Kings' becoming a championship team. It's that bond that kept Lombardi from buying Richards out last summer when the window was closing on buying out contracts that wouldn't count against the salary cap.

"We don't win the first Cup without this guy," Lombardi said. "He set a tempo. There's still time here. I'm hoping that he's got to do what he's got to do to get going."

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nhl/s...-angeles-kings