Dion Phaneuf for Mike Richards (And a pick apparently).
That's the world from HNiC's Elliotte Friedman. Then you have reports from Pierre LeBrun of ESPN that
the Kings have talked to both the Jets at the Leafs concerning Richards
We get it. The Leafs are struggling, the Kings are struggling. Leafs fans don't like Phaneuf, Kings fans aren't overly fond of Richards.
So naturally a swap would solve all the ills in King/Leaf land.
Mike Richards goes to Ontario and flourishes in a more high profile role with the Leafs, and Phaneuf comes in and steadies the Kings struggling blue line.
Nice theory, you have to admit.
And if you want to talk about it making some sense, there are elements of it that do. Phaneuf would be a left shooting top-4 D that the Kings could use. He would be under less scrutiny in L.A. than in Toronto. He would also be reunited with former coach and GM Darryl Sutter.
On the flip side, the Kings move out the albatross contract of Richards (For another equally bad contract no less...) and they make room for one of the many young centers they have currently up and coming in the future(Shore, Weal, Kempe). Richards playing 4C and making nearly $6 million is one of the worst contracts in the league.
Change of scenery and everyone wins.
Alright, let's get real now.
One bad contract on a declining player for another. It, in essence, could be rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
The move would really accomplish very little for both teams other than some personnel shifting.
That is the worst case scenario though of course.
From a Leafs standpoint they currently have Bozak and Kadri in the top 6 as centers. Richards would likely be moved to a 3 or 4C option. Which is essentially what he is right now with the Kings and struggling with. While he would be an upgrade over Trevor Smith and (Insert whatever 4C you want for Toronto here), it is another contract that hemorrhages money and will last for several years. Depending on how the organization feels about the future of Bozak, and the development of Nylander, McKegg, and Gauthier, it could make SOME sense from the Toronto side of things if they are attempting to win right now (Which they shouldn't be). Let's also not forget about 24-year old Peter Holland who is currently out injured.
However, taking in the peripheral players, prospects, and current roster players, there doesn't seem to be too much of a pressing need for a center in Toronto. Not in their current state. If they wanted to go full rebuild today, they have a pretty tantalizing group of centers in Nylander, Kadri, Holland, Gauthier, and McKegg. Not to mention whatever they could potentially get from dealing current assets. This move would be all about unloading Phaneuf and nothing more.
In short, you have to ask yourself if Richards actually solves anything if you are Toronto? While you could say the subtraction of the Phaneuf contract is a plus, the Richards contract is right up there with them in terms of being awful.
Now, from the LA standpoint.
Dion Phaneuf is signed until 2022. The Kings are in an extreme money crunch. Despite the left shooting, second pairing, glimmer of hope, this isn't a strong deal to add to the books. It is essentially one bad contract for another.
He has been on the possession downslide for the last five years:
His corsi for this year is at a lovely 44.5%. If you put him on the Kings that's dead last. Granted, it probably improves a bit on a team that isn't as bad possession wise as the Leafs. Nonetheless, he isn't a strong possession player currently, and the Kings needs something more stabilizing.
At age 29 you have to wonder if there is hope he will turn back around. 29 isn't old by any means, but it isn't young.
Then you have this scary thought,
the Kings salary structure.
Coming up for restricted free agency next year are the following players:
Tanner Pearson
Tyler Toffoli
Kyle Clifford
Nick Shore
Jordan Nolan
Andy Andreoff
Martin Jones
coming up for UFA next season:
Jarret Stoll
Justin Willliams
Jamie McBain
Robyn Regehr
coming up for contract within
THREE years:
Anze Kopitar
Dwight King
Trevor Lewis
Unknown factors/players/contracts to consider:
Derek Forbort
Valentin Zykov
Adrian Kempe
Jordan Weal
If you thought it was scary trying to keep the core together already, add an extra 2 million to the books for Phaneuf. Yea, maybe Voynov's contract comes off the books, maybe it doesn't. Williams, Stoll, and Regehr are all potentially leaving, and you wouldn't likely see too big a raise to players like McNabb, Lewis, Clifford, or Andreoff/Nolan. Maybe the implications on salary wouldn't be all that bad. The Voynov situation obviously plays a large part in the uncertainty as well. However, when you hit the Kopitar extension which is likely to be fairly hefty the Kings may be in a situation where they have committed a lot of money to too few players.
The positive for the Kings here is that it does improve the current defense if the team is committed to a win-now mode and tossing it to the future a little. There is no way the Kings are getting rid of Richards without taking back money and/or a bad contract of their own. So you have to look at what the Kings could possibly get value for value. It would basically be trading a current expensive 4C for a slightly more expensive 3-4D. It isn't perfect, but value wise it probably would be better from a Kings standpoint. That is if Phaneuf actually plays decent, which is assuming quite a bit.
With a healthy defense the Kings pairings would look like this:
Muzzin - Doughty
McNabb/Regehr - Phaneuf
Martinez - Greene
Not the worst set up in the world (Although as people have pointed out Phaneuf is currently playing LD with the leafs), especially when you consider Phaneuf's minutes will be backed off. He is playing an average of 23 minutes right now with Toronto and would likely see them lowered into the 19-20 range with the Kings. But remember, you can't necessarily protect the minutes of a defenseman. You can for a forward. If Phaneuf struggles there's no where to go. Risky move.
The real question for the Kings is how much are they willing to sacrifice in the future for the right now? Phaneuf is signed through to 2022. That is quite a commitment and a lot of money.
Is the value of Phaneuf's 7 million at a 3-4 make more sense than Richards at a 4C? Does unloading Phaneuf's contract for a 3-4C make sense for Toronto? If you're the Kings why not push a little bit more into the pot to get a younger Cody Franson, who is also reportedly on the block?
It's a trade rumor that is both ridiculous and plausible. It makes complete sense and no sense at the same time.
Put on your armchair GM helmets at make the call. Would it be good for the Leafs? Good for the Kings? Bad for both? Good for both? It doesn't feel like a Lombardi style deal but that's just one man's opinion.
Los Angeles Kings Blogger • 
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