Musings: The Brad Richards Effect

Sorry for the late musings, some technical difficulties still on our end.

The Brad Richards Effect

If, when evaluating the effectiveness of Brad Richards, you are looking at just points, then you are only looking at a portion of the big picture. Jim Cerny has already noted that Derek Stepan is being tutored by Richards, which will help the kid hopefully turn into what Richards was in the prime of his career. But the Richards effect goes beyond that. Marian Gaborik has been indirectly affected by Richards as well, and they aren’t even on the same line. With the presence of Richards, teams now must split up their top defenders (forwards and defensemen) to deal with the threat of both Ricahrds and Gaborik. Thinner defense means easier scoring opportunities. Depth is a wonderful thing.

The 1-3-1

The Tampa Bay Lightning have implemented a new forechecking system called the 1-3-1 (details here). It has been tremendously effective, and teams have had a hard time breaking through. Last night, the Flyers just stalled until the Lightning bit. There have been many debates opened up about both the forechecking system and the delay tactic used. It’s tough to penalize coaches for coming up with new schemes, and ways to deal with these new schemes. This is definitely a gray area for the NHL, and there may not be a right answer here.

The AHL Depth

There were a few people disappointed with the trade of Tomas Kundratek to Washington for Francois Bouchard. First, it’s a depth move, designed to help the CT Whale and their issues. Second, Kundratek had been a healthy scratch for the past seven games in the AHL. He played his way out of the organization. The fact that Glen Sather was able to get a body that fills a need for the Whale was great. Third, it’s an AHL move. Relax.

The Obligatory Messier Comment

I had a few tweets the other day regarding Mark Messier and his role with the team. Currently, he is in the process of learning the ropes in scouting and in the business of the game. He is not a scout, he is not the GM, he is still learning. Just because Messier says something about a prospect or a player doesn’t mean it is right. We all love Messier, and this isn’t a slight against him at all, this is just stating that he is still learning. Taking everything he says as fact is unfair to you and to him.

My fear is that one day Messier takes over this organization, and fails. What will happen to his legacy if he fails? For every Steve Yzerman, there is a Michael Jordan. If anyone can do it, it’s Messier. Giving him some leeway and realizing that GMs not only make mistakes, but can’t have emotional attachments to players is essential among the fan base to ensure that his legacy isn’t effected by this.