The defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings have always toyed around in the regular season, doing just enough to make the playoffs. Then once in the playoffs, the Kings would flip the switch and become absolutely dominant.
It has been a formula that has brought two Stanley Cups to LA in the past three seasons along with a Conference Final berth in between. This year, however, the Kings are playing at a level that has begun to worry their fans and management. They have not had the look of a team that can coast into the postseason. And with seven losses in their last eight games before the All Star Break, they looked like a team that needed a jolt.
This week, Kings general manager Dean Lombardi provided that wakeup call by releasing center Mike Richards.
New Lows
Not only did the Kings lose seven out of eight, but they also blew six out of seven games in their longest home stand of the season. Richards had just five goals and 15 points with a minus-seven rating in 47 games. His time on ice minutes had reached a career low at 13:42 per game.
The two-time Stanley Cup Champion and Olympic gold medalist will turn 30 on Feb. 11. The Kings did not exercise a compliance buy-out with Richards last summer and instead signed him with the understanding that he would keep himself in better shape. Richards is now a $5.75 million cap hit against the Kings at a time where they could have used that extra room to shore up a thin defense. Lombardi was loyal to Richards and believes loyalty is something that you build a great organization with. But this situation has to hurt.
Tough Decisions
“We expect loyalty from our players, and I think it’s a two way street, and I think under the circumstances, what he has done for us, I thought he deserved a chance to get back to what he knows he was capable of,” Lombardi said. “I’m sure it’s not easy on anybody, but these are the tough decisions you’ve got to make.
“I felt he deserved a chance for all he had done for us,” continued the Kings GM. “I don’t think there’s any question we don’t win that first Cup without what he did for the team, and obviously, we don’t win the second one. But there’s still got to be a certain level here that has to get done.”
