Mike Richards wasn’t supposed to end up in Los Angeles. The former captain of the Philadelphia Flyers was only a year removed from leading his team to the Stanley Cup Final against the Chicago Blackhawks. He had signed a contract in 2007 with Philadelphia that could potentially allow him to play his entire career in his adopted home.

In an instant, well actually an afternoon, Richards’ world was turned upside down. Within hours, Richards and one of his best friends, Jeff Carter would be sent out of town. The two deals were salary cap based, designed to free up salary cap space to sign Ilya Bryzgalov. The Flyers were loaded, even without Carter and Richards, but their most pressing need was between the pipes.

While Richards’s initial reaction was “surprise, confusion and anger” when he initially learned of the deal. Those emotions were soon replaced by optimism and excitement. Being a 26-year-old millionaire hockey player in Los Angeles presented many possibilities to a social butterfly like Richards.

With a roster loaded with talent in Los Angeles, a player of Mike Richards’s caliber should have had no trouble seamlessly integrating himself into the Kings lineup. Last year proved to be challenging from the start for both Richards and the Kings. A slow start for both led to a coaching change as Los Angeles toiled near the bottom of the Western Conference.

The introduction of Darryl Sutter seemed to give the Kings some life as they limped towards the postseason. The slump continued on a personal level for Mike Richards though as he struggled to a five year low in goals assists and points. As we all know by now, the fortunes of Mike Richards would take a significant turn for the better on both a personal and professional level. 

Joined by Philadelphia “bro” Jeff Carter in a deal that shipped Jack Johnson to Carter’s exile in Columbus, Richards and the Kings got hot as the playoffs started. They would go on to the Stanley Cup Final and lift the cup that had eluded the prolific pair in Philadelphia.

With a full year to acclimate himself to the West Coast lifestyle, Mike Richards will look to rebound and give the Kings a better look at the player that they wanted. With a Stanley Cup on the mantle, Los Angeles will wear the bulls-eye collectively as the rest of the NHL guns for the Kings. Expect to see the best of Mike Richards as well.