Q&A about Brad Richards

With the NHL free agency period opening up in just over a week, we thought it would make sense to try and gain some perspective for our readers on potential targets. First up, we reached out to Dallas Stars blogger Luther Xue at Stars of Big D for his perspective on Brad Richard.  For more of his stuff check him out on Twitter @StarsofBigD

What are the biggest strengths in Brad Richards’ game? Is he a top tier center in the NHL at 31?

I think both can be answered at the same time. Richards is still one of the best playmakers in the game and is easily still a top flight center in the league. He has great vision and hands and he can consistently make you say “wow” with some of his passes. Back-to-back point per game seasons (both times ranked in the top-10 in the NHL despite injuries).

He’s also a huge asset on the power-play and can easily anchor a unit from the point. In the past two seasons, only Steven Stamkos and Martin St. Louis have more power-play points than Richards. Stamkos has 77, St. Louis has 78 and Richards has 69.

Keep in mind that Richards has played in 12 less games than those two the past couple of regular seasons and he played on a team this year that was ravaged by injuries. At one point this season, four of our top five power-play guys were injured and out.

Basically, Richards does everything you want from a top-line big money center and is easily one of the best in the league.

What are the biggest weaknesses in Richards’ game?

I’m not sure whether or not you can qualify it as a weakness, but Richards is an injury waiting to happen. He was durable when he first came into the league, but he’s missed an average of 12 games a season the past four years. I would expect that to continue, and his progressing age doesn’t help. Injury-wise, it’s kind of like what the Sabres had in Tim Connolly, just not as bad.

Richards’ also is not what you would call a two-way player. Defense isn’t a strong point for him, but that’s not what he is brought in to do.

How much do you think age should factor into his next contract?

I think from Richards’ standpoint, age is THE factor going into this free agency. At 31-years-old, this will be his last big money contract and I think he’ll try to get as much as he can. Around the All-Star break, he had an offer from the Stars for a 4-year, $6-7 million per year deal that he turned down. He’s looking for a longer (5-6 years) contract that will basically keep him under contract until he retires. It comes down to risk for whoever wants him and whether or not they want a $7-8 million 38-year-old center.

Some team will be willing to pay the money so they can get the initial three years from Richards. It’s all about whether or not they believe he can sustain it for the remainder of the contract. I’m not sure if he would be willing to give discounts to some team because he has not given any indication of that at all, so I wouldn’t expect him to budge much, if at all, from his asking price.

In what type of system or what type of team would Richards most likely fit for the next 3-6 years?

For Richards to really live up to his contract, he needs a someone with him that has been a proven scorer. He works best as a facilitator, as evidenced by the years that Jamie Benn and Loui Eriksson have had for the Stars. Both guys are very good/great players and have become All-Star caliber with Richards playing with them. He can score and make plays on his own, but give Richards some scorers and he has the ability to carry a team. Wherever he goes, the offensive focus should be on him.

Five years from now Dallas fans will look at the day that Brad Richards left and think __________?

Honestly, I’m not sure how to answer this question. We are currently still ownerless and just recently found our next coach. The direction of the team is unknown at the moment because we have no idea how much money we will be able to spend in free agency.

For what it’s worth, I think it will be a missed opportunity. Dallas was only one point away from the playoffs last season despite all of the injuries that occurred and the fact that they did not get along well with our former coach, Marc Crawford. The Stars have a solid group of young talented guys, guys that could be perennial All-Stars, and a good core of talent in the minors (Jack Campbell, Philip Larsen, Scott Glennie). Richards would have been great for their growth.