[News] Kings terminate Richards contract. UPD: Kings and Richards reach settlement

[The Fonz]

I can only imagine the lengths the Kings organization went to in order to catch Richards doing something that would be considered a breach of his contract.

This has likely been in the works since the day their season ended.

[sureLoss]

WOW

Bob McKenzie @TSNBobMcKenzie
In the meantime, I'd expect LA to take a run at re-signing either Andrej Sekera or Justin Williams.

[Locke]

There was this article on TSN.ca about Lombardi feeling that Richards burned him by saying he'd take a second chance and come back renewed and in shape and that was the reason Lombardi didnt use a compliance buyout on him but then Richards didnt deliver.

Dean Lombardi made the long trek from California to quiet Kenora, Ont., last summer to see if his eyes could confirm what his heart and gut felt.
He wanted to give Mike Richards a second chance. He asked Richards, who worked with an off-ice trainer for the first time since junior, for a serious 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."

Lombardi was burned.

"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/kings-gm-lombardi-...hance-1.320414

[Radically Red]

Time for the PA to earn their Money.
No way should they let this stand unless something really bad happened.

Being out of shape should not count.

NHL should be all over this as well as it goes against the CAP System.


Should be very interesting indeed.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

There is no way the NHLPA can allow this to happen. Just attempting it should result in punitive measures against the team as it's a clear cap circumvention attempt. This is so, so much worse than the Kovalchuk thing.

Additionally, there will be lawyers on both sides arguing this, including NHLPA lawyers obviously, so there will be no resolution - unless the PA gives up - for probably years. In the interim, they won't (or shouldn't) get ANY cap relief.

[Galakanokis]

Originally Posted by The Fonz

I can only imagine the lengths the Kings organization went to in order to catch Richards doing something that would be considered a breach of his contract.

This has likely been in the works since the day their season ended.

I think it has been in the works since last off season. TSN ran the story about Lombardi going to see him last off season to see where his commitment level was to working out and getting into shape.

http://www.tsn.ca/kings-gm-lombardi-...hance-1.320414

[Ashasx]

If the Kings lose on this attempt, I hope they are penalized draft picks.

[ComixZone]

This seems pretty dang sketchy.

[sureLoss]

Looks like the Kings will claim he did not follow club rules regarding training:

[Funkhouser]

Speculation that it is beyond a conditioning issue...
...wish I knew what, but should be entertaining when this gets out.

[Ashasx]

First they get out of Voynov's cap hit, and now they attempt this.

This is not cool.

[Ozy_Flame]

Geez what is with LA players this year . . . . Voynov, Stoll, now something up with Richards.

[FLAMESRULE]

"Waivers from all other clubs"??? Yeah, that's never gonna happen. Or does that mean he had to pass through waivers??

[nik-]

I'm sorry, that's bull####. Not being up to par with a subjective level of "shape" is not material breach.

The NHL should legitimately punish the Kings for this bushleague move.

[cznTiburon]

I can't see this being a simple in or out of shape. While I haven't read a player contract before in my mind there would have to be a quantifiable number associated to "in shape" which I highly doubt there is. Like a player has to have certain numbers in a VO2 test or they are considered out of shape. This seems like way too much grey area and they could be setting a pretty crazy precident if this goes forward

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

If that means a club can relieve itself of any bad contract simply because they don't think the guy lifted enough weights, guaranteed contracts are meaningless.

Again, the NHLPA cannot allow this. If this stands, no hyperbole or exaggeration whatsoever, it will be the single worst thing ever to happen to the player's association.

[activeStick]

Wasn't he caught with possession of cocaine? I'd assume that if found guilty, the team could easily terminate any contract of a player found guilty of this as there are likely items in the contract which speak specifically to this sort of stuff, no?

EDIT - My bad it wasn't Richards, don't want to drag his name through the mud!

[FireItUp]

Depending on the reason for this cop-out; players might think twice before flocking to LA. This could be a good thing for other teams (most importantly our Flames) to attract more UFA's or players under contract who list certain teams to be traded to.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

WOW

Bob McKenzie @TSNBobMcKenzie
In the meantime, I'd expect LA to take a run at re-signing either Andrej Sekera or Justin Williams.

So they terminate the contract (which will obviously result in a prolonged fight) and in the meantime they get to use the cap space as they see fit? That seems completely ridiculous.

Between cases like this, Kovalchuk and the ongoing Prongers and Savards of the world the cap isn't penalizing these longer term contracts at all.

[Ashasx]

Originally Posted by Slava

So they terminate the contract (which will obviously result in a prolonged fight) and in the meantime they get to use the cap space as they see fit? That seems completely ridiculous.

Between cases like this, Kovalchuk and the ongoing Prongers and Savards of the world the cap isn't penalizing these longer term contracts at all.

I can't wait to see how the Hawks get out of their committment to Hossa in 2 or 3 years.