Earlier today, we discussed rumors that Dallas Stars center Brad Richards would only accept a trade to the New York Rangers. When discussing rumors, it’s important to note that there can be rumblings of something happening even if an event never comes to fruition.
Either way, the slow movement in the market, potential problems caused by his no-trade clause and the Stars’ rumored high asking price indicate that the odds might be on Richards remaining in Dallas. Again, it’s not a guarantee, but that seems to be the way the general consensus is flowing with a couple hours to go (keep in mind that deals sometimes clog the news pipeline in the deadline’s waning moments).
One important factor that makes a confounding situation that much more complex is the fact that Richards has been dealing with concussion issues. Richards missed six games so far with the problem, but he worked out once again Monday. Mike Heika caught up with Richards after his morning skate, gathering his thoughts on his recovery. We’ll focus on how he feels about the trade rumors and his general future with the Stars, though.Here’s Richards on whether he wants to stay or not:
“I’m a Dallas Star. These are my friends; these are my teammates. There’s no one on my side demanding anything or trying to do anything. I do understand, though, that Joe needs to do a job. He’s got to look out for what’s best for the franchise. That’s the business we’re in and it happens all the time. There’s no hard feelings. It still doesn’t mean I’ll waive my no-trade, but I told them all along that if he has something, I’ll look at it and try to make a decision on it.”
When asked if he has turned down an offer from the Stars, he said (I think he means owner when he says GM, but it does speak to the uncertainty of what could happen with a new owner):
“There’s nothing that has gained any traction or would change my stance on what we’ve said all along. Until I kind of see what’s going on here and who’s going to be the GM, who’s going to be running the team. There are a lot of questions. I have the right in the situation I’m in to ask those questions and I’m going to keep asking them. There’s no change here. I know people want to read more into it and they think there’s more to it, but there’s not. It’s gone this long and we’re this close to the summer. So seeing who’s going to be in charge of this makes sense to me in what I want to do.”Well, there you go. Honestly, it would be a little surprising to see a player as important as Richards go with such little time remaining. Still, you never know. Richards has been open about the fact that he wants the Stars to clear up their ownership issues, so perhaps it’ll all work out in the long run. We shall see.