The Los Angeles Kings are suffering from a well-documented case of Cap Crunch, thanks in large part to the as of yet unresolved domestic violence case involving indefinitely suspended defenseman, Slava Voynov.
Word emerged recently that, in order to alleviate this serious financial health issue, the Kings are having internal discussions about moving highly-paid fourth-line center, Mike Richards, which HNGN recently reported.
Now, Eklund of Hockeybuzz.com, has offered the names of several teams interested in possibly acquiring the veteran - chief amongst them being none other than his old squad, the Philadelphia Flyers.
Many teams are keeping a close eye on this and some teams will have to make other moves to make this possible, but already I am hearing Nashville, Pittsburgh, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Toronto and Philly (YES I KNOW, but Hextall is HUGE proponent) have their feelers out.
The Flyers currently have R.J. Umberger manning the fourth-line center spot.
If Richards were to reunite with his old team, he'd probably take up residence on the second or third line, moving youngster Sean Couturier and elder statesman Vinny Lecavalier down, and most likely making Umberger, who the team brought over in trade this offseason with the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Scott Hartnell, expendable.
Umberger has zero goals and zero assists thus far this season. His acquisition was looked at by many as more of a cap-related move - Hartnell was due to make $4.75 million against the cap until 2019, whereas Umberger's cap hit is slightly less at $4.6 million, and his contract two years shorter. But even so, Philly general manager Ron Hextall and head coach Craig Berube can't be happy with the production, or complete and utter lack thereof, he's managed so far.
As for Richards, he's in the midst of a 12-year, $69 million deal that brings a cap hit of $5.75 million. He's got seven points and a minus-2 rating on the year. He's been relegated to fourth-line duty with LA, not necessarily because of poor play, but more so because of the insane depth the Kings boast down the center of their lineup.
Bringing him into the fold would be difficult and would require some serious maneuvering on Hextall's part. The Flyers currently have $855,000 in cap space, according to CapGeek.com. Richards' potential arrival would be dependent on a bevy of other moves, and his placement in the lineup would be a problem - but one that Berube would, no doubt, feel happy to have.
As Eklund noted, Richards, hefty contract or no, is loved by his teammates and the kind of guy you want on the ice when everything is on the line. Players of his ilk don't often come available, and the Flyers - and other teams - would be remiss if they didn't at least explore the possibility of bringing him on board.
