Mike Richards knows his numbers with the Washington Capitals weren’t great.
In 39 regular-season games, he had just two goals and three assists. In 12 playoff games, he had no points at all.
But the 31-year-old center still thinks he can play. He isn’t done with hockey yet.
“Obviously, a disappointing end to the season, but that happens, only one team can win,” Richards told KenoraOnline recently, recalling his mid-season move to Washington in the wake of a messy breakup with the Kings.
“It was a little bit of an up-and-down season. I probably expected it to go a little more offensively, but it’s not easy to just jump in mid-season. Live and learn and hopefully I can get a full season under my belt this year.”
An unrestricted free agent, Richards said he’s hoping to “get some traction in the next couple of weeks.” For now, he’s just training and waiting.
It may be that he has to accept a training camp tryout, with a team that prefers to take a preseason test drive before it commits to anything.
At the very least, he should get that.
After all, it was only two years ago that Richards hoisted the Stanley Cup for the second time in his career, even if that seems like a long time ago now.