I know, this is something that's been discussed in the past. But the topic doesn't go away and now it's getting redundant seeing "Richards was signed to revive Gaborik" in almost every article I read. Sure, the fact that Richards is a playmakig center that could potentially work with Gabby contributed to the Rangers inking the 31-year-old in early July, but it's not the only reason, and it's not the main reason. Richards was brought here to be Brad Richards - a point-per-game player.
Marian Gaborik is an elite hockey player and does not need help in order to succeed. His first season as a Ranger was no fluke. The man can score goals like there is no tomorrow all by himself. He slumped last season, that is all. It's not the end of his career, it's not the end of his skill. He slumped yet still managed to reach 20 goals and did that while playing through nagging injuries.
Gaborik, who will enter training camp 100-percent in September, does not need someone to feed him the puck like so many claim. In fact, he doesn't need anything. He is good enough where he could handle himself and create chances for himself, but adding someone that could feed him the puck will help to make his job easier. There is a difference between the two if you haven't caught on to where I'm going with this just yet. Gabby doesn't need Richards, but if they click, it's going to make a difference in an already extremely talented sniper's game.
Brad Richards was signed because of who Brad Richards is. He, like Gaborik, does not need assistance from linemates to succeed either. At times, he was a one-man offense down in Dallas, and like I mentioned above, he was still a point-per-game player. THAT is the main reason why the Rangers inked Richards; not because of Marian Gaborik, but rather because he brings another superior set of offensive skills to the squad, and that is what the team needed in order to become competitors.
Yes, this was random, and yes, it was a bit of a rant. But when I read today's NHL.com column and saw "the Rangers are counting on him [Richards] to be the playmaker who revives Marian Gaborik" for the billionth time, I nearly combusted.
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