(Article)New Canuck Richardson fast forwards his way to Vancouver

[Canuck Surfer]

I'm not sold on the necessity of following a traditional mold where depth centers/wingers are concerned.

I liked the Santorelli acquisition - yes. Imo a guy who is a couple years removed from scoring 20 goals has a fair amount of upside for a depth forward at 550k, particularly one that skates as well as he does - and simply by signing a player like Santorelli does not indicate that he will earn a roster spot. When he played a larger role in Florida he played better hockey - even in the faceoff circle - was over 50% the one season he saw 1000 draws. He's a good option to have in the system imo - he might not command a center position, but I've never been against the idea of having centers on the wing, and more than one on any given line - and he is a right handed draw while Richardson a left.

If you look at the SC Hawks, they didn't exactly go with a conventional lineup up the middle - the smaller, speedy Kruger and Shaw aren't exactly what you'd consider stereotypical checking/depth centers, but their gameplanning seemed to effectively utilize their strengths, did it not...?

I also like the Richardson signing. Again, he's not a huge guy and he's not the stereotype of a depth center who will dominate in the faceoff circle - but he has great speed, he plays with a lot of energy, and grit, and he's had pretty good underlying numbers in LA. I don't know why they decided to scratch him that frequently at the beginning of last season, but what I do realize, is that like the Florida Panthers (who either did not choose to or manage to re-sign Santorelli), there is no shortage of depth at center in LA. The Kings have Kopitar, Richards and Stoll - not a lot of room to crack into their minutes, and then in addition to Richardson, they had/have Lewis, Nolan, and Toffoli to round out their options on that roster. Lewis, like Richardson, is a fairly speedy guy with his share of grit and two way potential (and was a 1st round pick of the Kings) - perhaps it was simply a case of limited cap space and limited roster spots - and with the similarity of what they bring.... In any event, I'm not really concerned with who the Kings chose to go with amongst that relative wealth of depth - I simply like Richardson's game and I think he could make a hell of a fit whether it's playing with Higgins and Hansen, or on the fourth line. It seems like Richardson found himself in a tweener position in L.A. - I like his chances of fitting here, particularly given his flexibility/utility in different roles.

I like a gameplan that takes away time and space, that uses that speed and grit to apply pressure over 200ft, that uses an aggressive forecheck to play 'defense' in the most opportune of space, which imo is deep in the opposition's zone, backed up by a mobile blueline and solid backchecking forwards like the Canucks have... I think it makes for a more exciting brand of hockey, one that has perhaps slipped a little for the Canucks recently.

Having said that, I'd still like to see another guy added to the mix (as I've said elsewhere) - of the shutdown/faceoff, big physical option- Smithson/Steckel - I think one of those guys would balance options out nicely, not cost a lot of cap space, and not leave the team depending upon Gaunce, Lain or Santorelli to command a starting role. Would also be happy to see one or any of these guys take a winger role from Sestito or Weise, who I'm not sold on as regulars.

[nux4lyfe]

Richardson really believes He has the 3rd line C position locked down eh, I'd rather see Schroeder play with Hansen and Higgy rather then those bums Weise and whoever else as He's got way more potential.

[oldnews]

Thanx for that response!

Last question? Can Richardson match offence with Santorelli in your opinion?

[SamJamIam]

Richardson really believes He has the 3rd line C position locked down eh, I'd rather see Schroeder play with Hansen and Higgy rather then those bums Weise and whoever else as He's got way more potential.

[Canuck Surfer]

Why not Schroeder on Kes' wing? Or playing centre but letting Kes take draws? Jordan is a top 6, 2-way guy, more so than Kass on both accounts.

[WiDeN]

Sorry Richardson you're on 4C duty.

D. SEDIN - H. SEDIN - KASSIAN

HIGGINS - HORVAT - BOOTH

BURROWS - KESLER - HANSEN

SESTITO - RICHARDSON - WEISE

[DownUndaCanuck]

More offensive upside than Lapierre and has playoff experience, plus a Cup ring. Great 4th line center.

Sedin - Sedin - Kassian

Burrows - Kesler - Booth

Hansen - Schroeder - Jensen

Higgins - Richardson - Ferriero

[aqua59]

Might depend on match ups?

Schroeder when you need speed, Kassian when u need size.

Also might depend on the other line mate; if Burrows is it the line already has a pretty good passer and fore checker (things we would hope of Schroeder on a wing). Kassian or Booth would be a more obvious choice to balance the line.

[SamJamIam]

Schroeder is who I really wonder about. I think he's too small to play the wing effectively in the NHL over the long haul. We saw Raymond skate wide for how many seasons? He wasn't as small as Raymond.

Schroeder isn't a Cliff Ronning. Look back at Roy last season, he was supposed to be the answer. Sorry, another small guy who flopped.

Please , no more small guys.

[Bruce Boudreau]

Richardson needs to chip in offensively if he wants to be the third line center like Malhotra was pre eye injury.

[Nuxfanabroad]

Like that they've brought in a few "tweeners" AHL/NHL fwds. Covers our butt for injuries, for starters. Also more chances duos will have chemistry(eg:Santo, Booth). Tweener talent trickles down to Utica, they should have a decent 1st year, whilst giving the kids a better team to develop with.

Maybe most importantly, this puts onus to win on our top 2 lines, Lu, & our D-core. There's also Olympic aspirations driving these diverse elements. If these three main parts can't get us firmly into PO positioning, it's time to hawk some of it to keep improving our future.