Some of the backstory last year, where Lombardi went to visit Richards and asked him about his commitment:
Lombardi had one last golden chance to initiate a compliance buyout - free and clear of cap penalty. But he decided to take Richards at his word.
"I met with him. He promised that he'd do it. And when a guy looks you in the eye and promises, to me, that goes beyond loyalty," Lombardi told the Los Angeles Times before last season. "A guy's giving you his word. That's more important than a contract or anything else."
....
"It could be the worst decision I ever made," Lombardi told ESPN.com last month. "But for all the right reasons. In a cap world, you can't have any heart and soul. I struggle with that."
http://www.tsn.ca/talent/kings-gm-lo...hance-1.320414