Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork. [url=http://www.officialoak

Preminiem Geregistreerd op: 22 Mei 2019 Berichten: 285

Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork. Bo Jackson Jersey .com) - Mike Richards boasts intangible qualities most NHL general managers only dream about. Too bad his contract has become a GMs nightmare. Although the Los Angeles Kings decision to place Richards on waivers was primarily a salary cap move, there is a sad reality at the heart of the story. The fact of the matter is the former All-Star forward who became a champion in L.A. simply isnt earning his keep these days. Richards was placed on waivers Monday and there was never a chance he wouldnt clear. Carrying an annual cap hit of $5.75 million through the 2019-20 season, the contract signed with Philadelphia in December 2007 has made Richards a wealthy man, but to NHL GMs the mammoth deal is an albatross around the 29- year-olds neck. Reports out of Los Angeles suggest Kings GM Dean Lombardi tried his best to deal Richards over the weekend, but nothing materialized. When Lombardi realized he couldnt dump Richards salary on another team via a trade, the decision to waive him became necessary. The deadline to claim Richards was Tuesday at 9 a.m. ET, and, as expected, no takers came forward. The Kings now can assign Richards to their AHL affiliate, the Manchester Monarchs, and see $925,000 of his cap hit come off the books. It may not seem like much, but even the tiniest bit of relief helps the cap- strapped Kings. Still, Lombardi has to be kicking himself for not using a compliance buyout on Richards when he had the chance. The NHLs collective bargaining agreement allowed teams to rid themselves of unwanted cap hits following the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons. To many in the media, it seemed like a foregone conclusion Lombardi would buy out Richards and make him a free agent, especially since the summer of 2014 marked the last chance for NHLs teams to use compliance buyouts. Instead, the GM opted to keep Richards in the fold and bet on the forward regaining his old form, and now it seems like a rare error in judgment from Lombardi. Of course, Lombardi was aware of Richards decline, but he chose to keep him around because of the intangibles he brings to the table. The former Flyers captain has a reputation as a guy who puts the goals of his team first while his personal achievements place a distant second. Youre loathe to ever give up on that kind of player, its very difficult to find that special ingredient, Lombardi said last summer while explaining why he declined to buy out Richards. Even through his negatives this year, who rises to the occasion in the end? Time and again he shows up at critical moments. There is little doubt Richards, who turns 30 in a few weeks, played a positive role in Darryl Sutters locker room during the Kings championship runs in 2012 and 14, but its clear the head coach is depending less and less on the veteran when it comes to actual playing time. When Richards came to L.A. in a trade with Philadelphia during the summer of 2011, he was seen as a potential missing piece for a Kings team with plenty of young talent and that proved to be true, in the short term at least. Richards averaged 19 minutes, 30 seconds of ice time per game in the 2012 playoffs, as only star centerman Anze Kopitar and captain Dustin Brown received more playing time among Kings forwards. During last seasons run to the Cup, however, his ice dropped to 15:32, leaving Richards 14th on the team and seventh among forwards. The trend of decreased playing time has continued this season with Richards logging 13:41 of ice time on average through 47 games. His production has fallen off, too, as Richards has managed only 15 points and the normally reliable two-way forward also is sporting a minus-seven rating. Lombardi spoke Monday to the Los Angeles Times about the decision to waive Richards and used a baseball analogy to try to make sense of his embattled forwards struggles. Mike, through his career, has shown he can be a .330 hitter, 80 RBIs, an All- Star player, Lombardi said. Maybe at this stage, maybe its not fair, but I still think he is capable of being a .280 hitter and (can) do a lot of those things for you that only he can do. Lets face it: right now hes batting .200. I dont see any reason why he cant get back to that. Hes gotta do what hes gotta do. For me, the world of the NBA offers the best comparison for Richards, who always seemed like the NHLs version of Allen Iverson. While Iverson was blessed with superior athletic ability that resulted in him getting selected No. 1 overall by the Philadelphia 76ers, Richards also was a first-round pick by the Flyers and became the face of a Philly franchise. Also like Iverson, Richards off-ice habits led him to spar with the Philadelphia media, but few people ever questioned either players work ethic when it came time to play a game. And although both Iverson and Richards were undersized for their respective sports, neither man ever blinked when it came time to pay a physical price for their teams. Sadly, its beginning to seem like the parallels may not end there. The wear and tear eroded Iversons ability until eventually he became a shell of his former self and quietly faded out of the NBA. Only time will tell if Richards can avoid a similar fate, but his struggles over the past two seasons are not a promising sign. Still, the veteran can count his coach among the folks who still believe he can get his career back on track. Lots of players go on waivers. Lots of players clear waivers, Sutter said. And lots of players still have great years in front of them. Kolton Miller Jersey . - Aroldis Chapman, with two black eyes, has returned to the Cincinnati Reds clubhouse four days after being hit in the face by a line drive. Gareon Conley Jersey . At a news conference Tuesday where it was thought that the fiery Schallibaum may be shown the door after a dismal finish to the Major League Soccer season, team president Joey Saputo said no decision has been made on whether the Swiss Volcano will be back in 2014. http://www.officialoaklandraidersfootball.com/authentic-customized-womens .com) - Colorado Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki was named the National League Player of the Month for April.Former Colorado Avalanche forward Milan Hejduk announced his retirement on Monday. "I was fortunate to play many years at this level with a great organization and unbelievable teammates," said Hejduk in a statement. "I realized my lifelong dream of not only playing in the NHL but winning a Stanley Cup. My family and I are proud to call Denver home and are enjoying our time together." The 38-year-old native of the Czech Republic spent 14 seasons in the NHL, all with the Avalanche. "Milan was one of the most humble players I ever had the privilege of competing with," said Joe Sakic, the Avalanches Executive Vice-President of Hockey Operations in a statement. "On the ice, he had one of the quickest and smoothest hands of any teammate I ever played with. His release, along with his hockey sense and vision, made him one of the premier goal scorers in the NHL during his prime. Milan was a true winner and would do anything he could to help our team win. He was a quiet leader who led by example andd always represented this organization and himself with class. Jim Otto Jersey. " Hejduks career was a decorated one. The three-time All-Star won a Stanley Cup with the Avalanche in 2001 and two Olympic medals (gold in 1998 and bronze in 2006). In 2002-03, Hejduk won the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy for finishing the season as the NHLs top goal-scorer with 50. He eclipsed the 30-goal plateau five times and scored at least 20 goals in 11 times. Last season saw Hejduks worst offensive output, scoring only four times in 29 games of the lockout-shortened year, finding himself a healthy scratch at times. The Avalanche did not offer Hejduk a contract following last season, although, Hejduk did express desire to play on. He finishes his career with 375 goals and 470 assists in 1020 games played, the second-most in Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques history. He holds the franchise record for most overtime goals with nine. Hejduk is the third-highest scoring Czech player in NHL history behind Jaromir Jagr and Patrik Elias. 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