Kings terminate Richards' contract for "breach"

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – The Los Angeles Kings terminated Mike Richards' contract Monday, claiming the underachieving forward committed a "material breach" of its terms.

The move is a surprising tactic in the Kings' prolonged attempt to get out from under the last five seasons of the 12-year, $69 million deal signed by Richards with Philadelphia in 2008.

The Kings acquired Richards in 2011, and he played a key supporting role on their two Stanley Cup champion teams. But Richards' scoring production has declined sharply during his tenure in Los Angeles, culminating in only 16 points from 53 games last season.

The Kings refused to detail their grounds for terminating Richards' deal, which carries an annual salary cap hit of $5.75 million through 2020. The collective bargaining agreement contains nebulous language allowing termination if a player should "fail, refuse, or neglect to obey the club's rules governing training and conduct."

In a brief statement, the Kings said Richards committed "a material breach of the requirements of his Standard Player's Contract. We are not prepared to provide any more detail or to discuss the underlying grounds for the contract termination at this time."

Los Angeles general manager Dean Lombardi has criticized Richards' fitness at times while the forward struggled for much of his four seasons with the Kings, culminating in a trip to the minors last season after no team claimed him off waivers.

Lombardi's decision to terminate Richards' contract could be contested by the NHL Players' Association, and an arbitrator eventually could determine what happens.

After his latest trip to waivers, Richards was expected to be bought out by the Kings, lessening his cap hit by spreading it out through 2025.

Instead, the Kings are attempting to declare themselves free of their obligations to Richards by breach of contract. Los Angeles still would be subject to a salary cap penalty for dropping Richards, but it would be much less onerous.

The NHL Players' Association also kept its public comments brief and neutral.

"We are in the process of reviewing the facts and circumstances of this matter, and will discuss the situation with the player in order to determine the appropriate course of action," spokesman Jonathan Weatherdon said.

The Kings are desperate for salary cap room with several players from their championship teams signed to space-eating, long-term contracts. Los Angeles' bind is exacerbated by the ongoing 76-game suspension of defenseman Slava Voynov after his arrest on domestic violence charges.

Richards' prolonged departure is the latest off-ice saga for the Kings, who struggled without Voynov in their lineup.