Mike Richards inks 10-12 year contract

[Son of a Wing 1,644]

12 year, $69m - an average of $5.75m per.

TSN Link

Centre Mike Richards, who has emerged as one of the league's top two-way forwards this season, has agreed to terms on a contract extension with the Philadelphia Flyers, sources tell TSN.

Flyers' general manager Paul Holmgren and Richards' agent Pat Morris are reportedly finalizing the language of the contract, which sources suggest is a whopper in terms of length, in excess of 10 years, perhaps as many as 12.

There is no definitive word on what the contract will average out to for the Flyers in terms of an annual salary cap hit, but it;s been suggested it will be in the $5.5 million to $6 million range.

Richards was scheduled to be a restricted free agent after this season, but the extension will take him off the market and keep him in Philadelphia.

Related Info

In his third NHL season, Richards has exploded offensively. He leads the Flyers in goals (14), assists (20) and points (34).

A reflection of his complete play his season: Richards has four powerplay goals, three shorthanded goals and three game-winning goals. He also has a +10 rating.

A former first round pick, 24th overall in 2003, Richards has 35 goals and 100

Edited December 13, 2007 by Son of a Wing

[redwingfan19 293]

wow that has got to be a record! 10-12 seasons? Glad I picked this guy up in my fantasy league he is on pace for 100 points.

[Guest wingswillwincup]

i was just gonna post this , flyers have lost their freakin mind , mike richards is having a great year but i think there WAY overreacting and theyll be kicking themselves long before that deal ends

[Icer 0]

wow that has got to be a record! 10-12 seasons?

DiPietro signed a 15 year dal with the Islanders.

[redwingfan19 293]

i was just gonna post this , flyers have lost their freakin mind , mike richards is having a great year but i think there WAY overreacting and theyll be kicking themselves long before that deal ends

This could also be a great deal for them if Richards keeps this up. But then again the way this guy plays Injuries could be an issue down the road if his body doesn't hold up.

DiPietro signed a 15 year dal with the Islanders.

my bad for some reason I thought it was 10.....

[akustyk 84]

either Holmgren is expecting a huge raise of salary cap in following years or he went insane. I'd rather put my money on the later. most certainly with the Dollar dumping which this idiot George in White House is doing now to cover for sick US economy

[Hank 0]

Thanks for posting this.

I think it's a great move by Philly. This kid can basically do it all - score, pass, check, defense, fight. I'd LOVE to have Mike Richards on the team.

And I have to admit that I was way-off when I said on another board that he had limited offensive upside. He might not score 100 points but putting up 70-90 points in his prime, combined with all the other stuff he does for a team, is excellent.

I wonder what this means for Carter? They'll have Briere and Richards locked up for close to a decade and seeing what they gave Richards I don't see him getting stuck on the 3rd line. Carter will be the odd man out. Especially when you look at his numbers since turning pro. I certainly believe he has a lot more upside than what he's shown.

I'd love for the Wings to take a crack at him. But I doubt they have the right player for what Philly wants in return.

[zata40 3]

wow 10-12 years.

We should lock up zata for that long.

[YoungGuns1340 1]

I dont know how I feel about this. 5.83 per season. Yeah, thats a deal if he, for the next 12 years, is on pace for 90-110 point seasons, but what is the likelihood of that happening?

[wingslogo19 281]

This kid is turning out to be a great 2 way player

[Guest jaytan]

I don't care who he is, I would never give a guy a contract that long. What if they'd given Lindros a 12-year extension in 1995. Would it have been worth it?

[Doggy 130]

Confirmed: 12 year, $69m - an average of $5.75m per.

Mike Richards is a great player though. He will be their captain one day.

[Opie 308]

I don't care who he is, I would never give a guy a contract that long. What if they'd given Lindros a 12-year extension in 1995. Would it have been worth it?

I could not agree more!!

This is absurd, what if the B's had given Jim Carrey a 12 contract.

7 years is a long friggin contract, IMO.

Think about baseball, a long contract (for those not named A-Rod) are 5 years -7. Pitchers get 3-4 years because of breakdown. A hockey player is a lot more likely to get hurt than a baseball player. I know things like Tommy John surgery and other things, but look at Bergeron, he really could never be the same player again.

He could be the next Lindros, you hope that stuff doesn't happen, but it does.

10 years is a long ass time to sign some one. I thought about this in the Dats contract thread, I hope they don't offer Z a ten year contract because of this. Yes it will probably work out that in a couple of years it is a steal of a deal for Dats or Z, but it could turn out they fall off the shelf, it has happened before. It could very likely happen again. (knocks loudly on heavy wood).

[Bluedevils_13 0]

Hmmm...Maybe we should lock up Lidstrom to a similar type deal.

[akustyk 84]

Hmmm...Maybe we should lock up Lidstrom to a similar type deal.

Nick for 10 years? I'm not sure if he'll be in this league in 6-7 years actually.

having said that... noe let Kenny Holland lock Chelli for 15 years and show those posh-couch GM's who's the man

[WingNut199 0]

I could not agree more!!

This is absurd, what if the B's had given Jim Carrey a 12 contract.

7 years is a long friggin contract, IMO.

Think about baseball, a long contract (for those not named A-Rod) are 5 years -7. Pitchers get 3-4 years because of breakdown. A hockey player is a lot more likely to get hurt than a baseball player. I know things like Tommy John surgery and other things, but look at Bergeron, he really could never be the same player again.

He could be the next Lindros, you hope that stuff doesn't happen, but it does.

10 years is a long ass time to sign some one. I thought about this in the Dats contract thread, I hope they don't offer Z a ten year contract because of this. Yes it will probably work out that in a couple of years it is a steal of a deal for Dats or Z, but it could turn out they fall off the shelf, it has happened before. It could very likely happen again. (knocks loudly on heavy wood).

The Wings would never offer this length of a contract to any player because after they play here for 5 years they all want to stay the rest of their lives with us!

Philly on the other hand..

Edited December 13, 2007 by WingNut199

[VM1138 1,921]

Nick for 10 years? I'm not sure if he'll be in this league in 6-7 years actually.

having said that... noe let Kenny Holland lock Chelli for 15 years and show those posh-couch GM's who's the man

Yeah, the liklihood of Chelios staying in the league for another 15 years is greater than Richards staying that long I bet!

Long live Chelios!

[Hiei 192]

What's to stop Chris Chelios from inking a 20 year deal with the Red Wings?

[RusDRW 155]

yes, he is having career year. But we call it "career year" because it happens only once.

This gives me one more reason to be sure that Dats for 6.75 is a complete steal. I can only imagine what is fair for Zet. Let's say 15 per year for 15 years?

[Guest DetroitIan]

Sounds like an Islander move, lol. Im all for long term deals and all. But a 12 year deal is totally rediculous. The only way I could possibly understand a deal like that is if its for a player like Sidney Crosby, or Zetterberg, or Lecavalier. Other than top notch calibre players, no one should get a 12 year deal.

[2probert4 8]

Lilja to sign 10 year deal E5

[irishtemper14+25 11]

wow, must have thought he was a-rod or sumthin