You’re assessing Richards solely on goals and +/- … which shows you’re probably not a good Fantasy Hockey manager. I realize the Rangers need to score more goals, but most centers in the NHL earn their dollars as set-up guys. Take 2009-10 numbers (only because I found those first): Malkin (28g, 49a), Nic Backstrom (33g, 68a), H. Sedin (29g, 83a). Stamkos and Crosby are exceptions where they score as often as they assist. You get centers for their assists, and when they can average between 20 and 30 goals per season, that’s a very good upside.

As for +/-, you’re disregarding that Richards played for teams that could be labeled (generously) as sub par defensively (TB’s Cup year withstanding). Ignoring his stupid contract with the Devils, are you saying that Ilya Kovalchuk, on the right team, isn’t worth his point-per-game career average (702 in 702) because of his career -101 plus/minus rating? I love Chris Drury, but he has cracked the 60-point mark four times in his 12-year career. Richards has done it eight times in 11 seasons.

Richards has one concussion that he seems to have recovered from pretty nicely. We won’t know for sure how he responds, but there is always some risk in signing any player. However we did know that Gaborik missed significant time in two of his five post-lockout seasons due to injury, prior to signing him. Richards doesn’t have that history.

Finally, I guess “huge numbers” depends on the way you break it down. A 72-point season is .96 points per game. That’s pretty damn close to a point-per-game season. More importantly, it’s far ahead of what anyone else on the Rangers is doing right now (.70 ppg for Dubinsky last season, led the team). The Rangers aren’t going to get a Stamkos, Crosby, Ovechkin, or Sedin via trade or free agency. Richards is the closest thing they will have the opportunity to get for the next several years. GMs will ALWAYS have to pay top-dollar for a guy of Richard’s caliber. Supply and demand. If the Rangers don’t, someone else will, and they’ll still have a gaping hole in the scoresheet. That being said, Sather doesn’t need to give him 8 years either.

Of course signing Dubinsky and Callahan are top priorities. No one said they weren’t.

Oh, and stop comparing people to Gretzky. I didn’t say that and no one in their right mind does. No one is going to ever put his numbers up again.

Actually look at, and compare Drury’s career stats with Richards… and you might be shocked a bit. Yes Richards has put up somewhat bigger numbers, but they are far from “huge”.

Some facts:

1. Drury’s most productive goal scoring season saw him score 37 goals. Thats 9 goals more then Richards has ever scored in a season (28 goals in a season are NOT monster numbers)… and it wasn’t a fluke either, as Drury also scored 30 goals the season before that.

2. Richards for his career isn’t even a point a game player. I wouldn’t call that “huge”.

3. Richards is a plus/minus -72 for his career.

4. Richards has put up 91 points twice (not “huge” numbers for a top player). Other then that whats his highest point total? 79… less then a point a game.

5. Gaborik was a known, and proven goal scorer (far better then Richards) when he was signed, so there wasn’t really a “gamble” there. Sure there was some questions about his health… but no one doubted how productive he could be. He was also 4 years younger then Richards when he was signed.

6. Going to the last point: Richards is 31… the odds are his most productive seasons are behind him, or might happen in the next year or two. If the Rangers give him a long contract there is a great chance they will be paying big bucks during the years in which Richards production takes a noes dive….. just like Drury.

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I’m not saying Richards can’t help the Rangers in the short term. However, you make it sound like hes the next Gretzky or something… and hes not. I wouldn’t even count Richards as one of the top 10 (probably even 20) players in the league right now. If the Rangers could get him cheap, then absolutely they should. I agree he would likely make Gaborik better, and the Rangers absolutely need a number one center.

However the Rangers also need to re-sign Callahan and Dubinsky, both of which showed great progress last year. Should they really throw huge amounts of salary cap at a 31 year old player whos not going to put up super star numbers… possibly at the expense of some very promising young talent? Not if they want to win a cup in the future.

You say that, yet all indications are that the Rangers are going to throw big money at Brad Richards on Friday. Sounds like going out and buying the most expensive (and over rated) free agent is EXACTLLY what the Rangers are planning to do.

Not only that, but the Rangers are heading for a repeat of the Drury situation with Richards if they do sign him. He is 31 years old, has never scored more then 28 goals in a season, has just two seasons in which he was a point a game player, is a career plus/minus -72, and had a nasty concusion last year… which makes future concusions and health problems more likely. Given all that, if the Rangers drop big money on Richards, which is what I think most people expect right now, there is a good chance we will be having the “I’m so glad the Rangers got rid of Richards” talk in a few years. If they can’t get him for a good price, they should forget about him…. but knowing Sather, they will pay him far mor then hes worth and give him a 6-8 year contract, taking him well into the twilight years of his career.

I hope I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure its going to be you jpelle. Sather has shown that he has no business being a GM in the NHL today… and also that he has no concept of what a Salary Cap is. Expect him to make a massive mistake with Richards, and continue to try and buy big names to win.

I’m not saying Richards is the end-all, be-all for the Rangers. However, he does have a boat-load of talent, will fit in with Torts and the Rangers system, and is a much better bet than even the Gaborik gamble was. In fact, he may make Gabs even better than he has been since coming to The Garden.