I was stunned and bewildered at the same time. Then Philadelphia Flyers center Mike Richards was always considered a top two-way centerman in the NHL. When the LA Kings acquired him for top flight prospects Wayne Simmonds, Brayden Schenn & a 2nd round draft pick; I again could not believe it, I had to read it four & five times over.
As this last season went on, Simmonds was exceeding expectations while Schenn was having an ok rookie season; for the majority of the season Richards struggled offensively until his former linemate Jeff Carter was acquired (by LA) from Columbus.
But the fact remains, the Kings did not trade for Richards to become the number one center, they got him to become the best 2nd line center in the league; to back up Anze Kopitar.
Who won the trade?
This is my take on the trade. Simmonds and Schenn could become the second coming of Bobby Clarke and Bill Barber for all that matters, but when the LA Kings went onto win the 2012 Stanley Cup, the Kings will have the early victory on this transaction. It’s all about the Stanley Cup, nothing else matters. Could the Kings be as dominant if they did not Richards patrolling the second line absolutely not. For the Kings this could be the start of something special; Doughty, Richards, Carter, Kopitar & Brown all have 2 or more years left on their contracts. Jonathan Quick just signed a large extension and is going nowhere.
For the Flyers they’ve got a deep young hockey team, but will again be hit with hard choices because of the salary cap and some bad decisions on some bad long term contracts they’ve handed out.
Both teams have benefited greatly from this ballsy move. I admire that both these teams did what they did; others GM’s talk the talk but are always afraid to make that big move.
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