Richards ready for return after 24-game absence

The Los Angeles Kings didn’t really tip their hands towards any real lineup updates on Monday morning. Only Martin Jones took the ice for the optional skate, so it wasn’t possible to gauge tonight’s starter by the goalie who exited the ice first. There were no real line rushes, so it’s still difficult to say whether Alec Martinez will be inserted into the lineup, and for whom.

But if there’s one adjustment you’ll be able to set your clock to, it’s Mike Richards playing tonight. He’ll most likely replace Andy Andreoff. Richards, who last played in San Jose on January 21, missed 24 games after he cleared waivers and was assigned to AHL-Manchester before returning to Southern California earlier this month for on and off-ice tests to establish a baseline for his conditioning.

The Kings were 14-8-2 and are now in need once again of Richards’ experience, two-way play and leadership with veteran Jarret Stoll out indefinitely with an upper-body injury and the team’s traditionally sound center depth tested.

“I feel good,” Richards said. “I’m excited to be back, obviously. It’s where you work towards getting and, like I said, it’s not an ideal situation but I tried to handle it as best as possible. When you do get a chance like I’ve been given, you try to make the best of it.”

Darryl Sutter wasn’t especially revealing when asked how Richards would be used in tonight’s game. During his Kings tenure he’s seen time in all situations, though his ice time did drop more than three full minutes between his 2013-14 and 2014-15 usage.

“Just like going into any other game, just be ready to get used however it is I get used,” he said. “I’ll just be ready for whatever I get used in.”

The need for Richards is clear – Los Angeles must improve its center depth following a stretch of play in which rookies held down the third and fourth line center roles.

“Obviously we’ve lost Jarret in the middle of the ice, and we really haven’t been very strong in the middle of the ice, if you look at our team from early in the year, from years prior,” Darryl Sutter said. “We’ve moved Jeff to the middle, and [have] Kopi and Jeff, but there’s been a drop after that. I‘ve said it all along, and I still believe Mike’s a really good player, so I trust him and he trusts me. That’s a big part of it, and we put some young guys in there that at the end of the day I think are going to be good players, but right now they haven’t shown it consistently that we can win with that.”

Mike Richards, on why he spent time in California for conditioning:
You’ll have to ask other people about that. I just kind of do what I’m told and go where I’m told to go. [Reporter: How’d you keep yourself like physically?] I was working out, out in LA. [Reporter: All off-ice?] I skated a little.

Richards, on whether his preparation for the game is similar to returning from an injury:
I don’t think it’s quite like that, but just be ready like anything else. I’ve been playing, it’s not like I haven’t been on the ice. So I don’t think that’ll be an issue.

Richards, on whether he feels humbled:
Maybe. You don’t think something like that is going to happen, but it does. You just try your best to get back.

Richards, on how long he expects it to take for him to return to an NHL level of play:
I’m not sure. I guess we’ll see tonight.

Richards, on whether he feels he can be a difference maker for the team:
I’m not sure. I’m just going to do whatever position I’m put in, like I’ve done in the past when I’ve been here. Nothing is going to change now.

Richards, on whether he thought he wasn’t going to be recalled to the NHL:
No I didn’t, but at some point I thought I did. We were just doing some stuff out west and at the time I didn’t think at the time it was going to happen.