Dallas Stars’ General Manager Joe Nieuwendyk pen to negotiating Brad Richards’ rights –NHL offseason Update
Dallas Stars’ General Manger, Joe Nieuwendyk, has announced in a statement that he is now open to negotiating his centre player, Brad Richard’s, rights after realising how successful the similar deal between Phoenix Coyotes and Philadelphia Flyers went down
for superstar goalie, Ilya Bryzgalov.
For Bryzgalov, one of the leading goalies of the National Hockey League (NHL), Philadelphia gave Phoenix Coyotes future considerations including a third round draft pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft and 26-year-old left winger, Matt Clarkson, who has not
been officially signed yet.
Flyers wish to negotiate further for Bryzgalov since Phoenix was unable to meet his demands and is looking for a way to make a place for him since it already has a main goalie.
Brad Richards, on the other hand, did not cut ties with the teams’ management due to financial reasons but more morally motivated reasons.
His demand was that Dallas Stars find a new ownership by the first of July, before he became a free agent. Dallas’s management could not meet this demand and thus it became obvious that both parties would be separated.
"It's our intention as well to move those rights along", Nieuwendyk said on Wednesday, speaking shortly after the League's general managers’ meeting at the Langham Hotel in Boston. "So we're working towards that”.
Richards has played for four seasons with Dallas Stars and is one of the top centres/attackers in the league.
He finished off the 2010-2011 season with 77 points, 10th in the league, including 49 assists and 28 goals in 72 games, which is an impressive record for the position he plays in.
Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks are expected to be the front runners in proposing a deal for Richards’ negotiating rights before he becomes a free agent on the first of the next month.
(The search) is going well", Nieuwendyk said. "We've met some impressive candidates. Hopefully I would like to get it done before the draft – certainly before free agency".
A deal is expected in the upcoming weeks and certainly Nieuwndyk would like a replacement that could fill Richard’s shoes.
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