It's been a precipitous drop-off for Mike Richards in the NHL.
The former first-round pick and one-time captain of the Philadelphia Flyers was traded to the Los Angeles Kings prior to the 2011-12 season, where he aided the efforts of two Stanley Cup victories in what can rightly be dubbed a secondary, if still vitally important, role. Since then, Richards has seen himself slip farther and farther down the Kings lineup, culminating last season in an assignment to the club's AHL affiliate, the Manchester Monarchs.
On Monday, the final nail in the coffin of Richards' Kings tenure was pounded into place - the club announced that they would be terminating Richards' contract for what they deemed a "material breach."
"The Los Angeles Kings today have exercised the team's right to terminate the contract of Mike Richards for a material breach of the requirements of his Standard Player's Contract. We are not prepared to provide any more detail or to discuss the underlying grounds for the contract termination at this time."
With a decade's worth of NHL experience, to the tune of 710 NHL games, to his name, this represents a sad outcome for a player once viewed as the next Bobby Clarke in Philadelphia.
As TSN's Pierre LeBrun notes, the NHLPA and Richards may have something to say about the Kings decision, so NHL fans in LA may want to stay tuned.
Elsewhere around the NHL...
Stars Ink Niemi
The Dallas Stars locked up recently acquired netminder Antti Niemi to a three-year, $4.5 million-per-year deal on Monday, as reported by Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman. Niemi's negotiating rights were acquired from the San Jose Sharks by the Stars for a seventh-round pick in the 2015 NHL Draft. He posted a 31-23-7 record with a .914 save percentage last season.
Stars GM Jim Nill has indicated, per ESPN, that he's comfortable heading into 2015-16 with Niemi and starter Kari Lehtonen as his 1-2 in net. Lehtonen is signed trhough 2017-18 at an AAV of $5.9 million.
Sabres Buyout Hodgson
The Buffalo Sabres and GM Tim Murray were reportedly considering buying out one-time red-hot forward Cody Hodgson. Those rumors became reality on Monday, when TSN's Darren Dreger reported that Murray and the team would be placing Hodgson on unconditional waivers with the intention of buying him out.
The Sabres, in retrospect, made a very poor decision when they decided to sign Hodgson to a six-year, $25.5 million deal in 2013 instead of opting for a two-year bridge deal which would have allowed them to continue monitoring Hodgson's development without committing to a not-yet-established player unnecessarily.
Hodgson, who called 2014-15 "by far the worst year(s) just I've had in my whole life, not just in a National Hockey League year," will be paid $791,666 over the next eight seasons if he clears waivers and is bought out, per General Fanager.
Caps Extend Beagle
The Washington Capitals played a new brand of hockey under Barry Trotz last season and it showed in the results - even if the Caps playoff run ended in eerily similar fashion to their other recent efforts.
Center Jay Beagle may not ever provide the kind of highlight-reel play Caps fans have come to expect from superstar Alexander Ovechkin, but he plays a tough, hard-nosed style that perfectly embodies what it is Trotz wants to see from every level of his lineup. It's not surprising then that Washington has decided to lock the 29-year-old Beagle up with a three-year contract extension.
According to Mike Vogel of WashingtonCaps.com, Beagle's deal carries a $1.75 million AAV.
As Friedman notes, it's a good signing for both sides, though there was interest from outside the Washington organization for the rights to Beagles services.
