Kyle Phillippi
Mike Richards hit a rough patch.
That’s what happens when you get picked up at the Canadian border for possession of a controlled substance, later determined to by Oxycontin, which led to the Los Angeles Kings terminating his contract.
That’s when the NHLPA filed a grievance for how the Kings handled the situation regarding the termination and this is where we are today: Richards getting paid until 2031.
Hearing that Mike Richards will be on the cap until 2031. Not sure of payment, but that is the term.
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) October 9, 2015
How did this all come about? Well, look no further than 2007 when Paul Holmgren forked over a 12-year deal to Richards, the former captain of the Philadelphia Flyers. That’s a contract the Kings took on and will now be taking on for a very long time.
Grievances are tricky to understand for the most part, and it’s unclear what the payment structure will be.
Nonetheless, Richards, 30, will be getting paid for quite some time even if he doesn’t sign with another team ever, which the now-unrestricted free agent can do following this ruling.
By the way, if you want to read more on this, look no further than this: Kings GM says Mike Richards went into ‘a destructive spiral’.