[News] Mike Richards on waivers - CLEARS

[sureLoss]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

Which is why I doubt very much they leave him exposed.

Also, offer sheets suck. Some people see them as a free asset but they are a trade: player for picks. The only way LA wouldn't match on Toffoli would be if the offer was so high that it made the compensation a worthwhile consolation prize.

You could sign Toffoli to a $5 million AAV contract and only give up a 1st and 3rd. A perennial playoff team would likely easily give that up.

Assuming a $70 million salary cap next season and Richards still on the roster, Kings only have roughly $10 million to replace Williams, Stoll, Regehr and re-sign Pearson, Toffoli, Jones and Kyle Clifford.

A $5 million offer sheet will cripple the Kings.

[Enoch Root]

Again, which is why it's highly unlikely that they expose themselves to that scenario

[Erick Estrada]

I don't think he's going to get traded (the Kings simply aren't going to give up what teams expect in return for that contract) as this is more of a message for him to get in better shape and maybe get his game back playing top line minutes to which they will bring him back before the playoffs.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

Again, which is why it's highly unlikely that they expose themselves to that scenario

well if they can't move Richards, what do they do?

[Fire of the Phoenix]

What teams are in any kind of position to help LA? Calgary and Buffalo? Are there more? Looking at teams with cap space, most are there due to internal budgets, Richards won't be a fit. Even Buffalo has buyout obligations to Leino and Erhoff already, do the want to add Richards to the pile? I have my doubts. Calgary is in a unique position here to take advantage of an opportunity, they just need to wait out Lombardi.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

well if they can't move Richards, what do they do?

This is why I keep thinking that they will in fact get something done with Richards.

Because if they don't, the problem isn't going to go away, it's simply going to fester and then blow up somewhere else, like with Toffoli.

If you're Lombardi, do you bite the bullet on Richards, or do you wait and swallow hard later on an asset that you care much more about?

[sureLoss]

Originally Posted by Fire of the Phoenix

What teams are in any kind of position to help LA? Calgary and Buffalo? Are there more? Looking at teams with cap space, most are there due to internal budgets, Richards won't be a fit. Even Buffalo has buyout obligations to Leino and Erhoff already, do the want to add Richards to the pile? I have my doubts. Calgary is in a unique position here to take advantage of an opportunity, they just need to wait out Lombardi.

Buffalo's owner is willing to spend money. Remember he took on Kotalik's contract and even paid it out in full while Kotalik played in Europe just in the off chance Kotalik could help the Sabres in the playoffs.

[CsInMyBlood]

Originally Posted by dammage79

If 50% retained salary is done in the trade, 2.8m a year isn't going to handcuff any team. Cap may drop next year but it will go up and up and up for the duration of Richards' contract.

Yes, but if they are retaining 50% of his salary, you certainly aren't going to get anything of value (player/prospect/pick) back.

Not to mention you would have slowass 29 year old Mike Richards on your team till the 2018/19 season.

No thanks.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

This is why I keep thinking that they will in fact get something done with Richards.

Because if they don't, the problem isn't going to go away, it's simply going to fester and then blow up somewhere else, like with Toffoli.

If you're Lombardi, do you bite the bullet on Richards, or do you wait and swallow hard later on an asset that you care much more about?

I tend to agree.

It is going to come down to what Lombardi would rather lose... Toffoli via an RFA offer, or a 1st round pick/prospect or another player (even Toffoli) by having to persuade someone to take Richards.

Either way, LA is going to lose something. They just need to pick their poison. They don't need to decide right this second though. This story could be dead until the draft now.

[sureLoss]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

Either way, LA is going to lose something. They just need to pick their poison. They don't need to decide right this second though. This story could be dead until the draft now.

I disagree with this, if Lombardi is inclined to make the playoffs and add to his roster for a playoff run, he needs to decide within the next 30 or so days.

[Fire of the Phoenix]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

Buffalo's owner is willing to spend money. Remember he took on Kotalik's contract and even paid it out in full while Kotalik played in Europe just in case Kotalik could help the Sabres in the playoffs.

I suppose, but even he should have his limits especially considering how badly he has been burnt throwing money around already. Besides, their prospect pool is deeper than ours, they have more picks in the upcoming draft and they will also face challenges re-signing young players if Richards is thrown into the mix, so they should have even less incentive than CGY. Point remains, there is an extremely small market for Richards, if LA is hoping CGY and BUF will get in a bidding war to drive the price of a poison pill down to a 2nd, I think he's underestimating his predicament.

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

well if they can't move Richards, what do they do?

I speculate Williams walks and they could look to move Dustin Browns big contract. That frees up space but doesn't rid them of Richards brutal deal.

I am optimistic Richards could do better under a different coach but does that mean he goes from a 20pt player to a 50pt player or maybe just a 30pt guy. No matter how you look at it he is highly overpaid

[Flash Walken]

According to friedman, both Buffalo and calgary asked for Toffoli in exchange for taking Richards.

That leads me to believe the cost for taking Richards is Toffoli, as I don't see either team backing down from those terms and I don't see a 3rd team stepping up to lower the price.

It's a serious poison pill. If I am the Kings, with the roster I have, I might move Toffoli just to get an extra 6 million dollars in cap space. Win now.

[GranteedEV]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

This is why I keep thinking that they will in fact get something done with Richards.

Because if they don't, the problem isn't going to go away, it's simply going to fester and then blow up somewhere else, like with Toffoli.

But it takes two to tango. LA is in a lose-lose situation for a reason, and they have to get fleeced if they want to retain a roster that is on pace to miss the playoffs with their #2 dman potentially going to prison/deported.

[dammage79]

I don't think they can Lose Pearson or Toffoli. As far as re-signing vets, they're going to lose one of Stoll or Williams. Martin Jones , Teams will pay for him. He could fetch some aid in terms of another good young cheap FW or D man helping their cap.

Can they afford to lose Clifford?

If they dded McKeown and a 2nd I think that would stem the risk of the contract. I'm sure others will disagree though.

[Fire of the Phoenix]

This would probably be an easier decision if LA was actually looking like they might make the playoffs. If he trades Toffoli to get rid of Richards AND they miss the playoffs, well, he'll look pretty dumb. The whole point should be getting rid of Richards so he has cap space to sign Toffoli. They are going to be parting with their 1st in 2015 AND 2016 before they part with Toffoli IMO. Toffoli is a building block for the future for them and draft picks can always be recouped by trading players like Williams, Stoll and Regehr

[Vinny01]

Gaudreau-Monahan-Toffoli would be amazing

Hope the Kings get desperate and do it but they likely trade him to Buffalo before Calgary

[Fire of the Phoenix]

Originally Posted by dammage79

If they dded McKeown and a 2nd I think that would stem the risk of the contract. I'm sure others will disagree though.

That's not enough, it's basically two 2nd round picks for one of the worst contracts in hockey. I think the price will be two 1sts or a 1st and a player like Zykov. I don't think McKeown holds a lot of value to be honest. If he doesn't turn it around next year, I doubt the kings offer him a contract.

[Jacks]

At some point someone mentioned Arizona, they could easily be in the mix. If it's true that they are going to blow it up and trade away their big names and do a full rebuild then they still need to get to the cap floor somehow. I know they have an internal budget but they have to spend the money anyway. If they could pick up L.A.'s first rounder plus a decent prospect it might be a good fit.

[ForeverFlameFan]

Honestly, Richards' contract would be an easy one to swallow if we were able to grab Toffoli. I would definitely be working out a trade with Richards + Toffoli, even if it requires us to pay a little more on our end than just a Raymond/Engelland/Stajan/Smid/Bollig contract.