Mike Richards

Few players have stood out in the mess that is the Los Angeles Kings this season.

The Kings have posted a record of 14-13-4 on the season, but despite their mediocre start to the season, it is not all bad news for the team that was supposed to contend for the Stanley Cup.

The list of players having a poor season is much longer than the list of players having a fine season for the Kings. Nevertheless, let’s look at three players who have played well in LA.

Mike Richards is expected to miss at least seven days after taking a hit from Florida's Sean Bergenheim Wednesday Night.

The hit that came at the end of the second period will put Richards on short-term injured reserve for the time being. Bergenheim was assessed a two-minute minor; however, the penalty was not for the hit but for the ensuing scuffle.

When taking a closer look at a team, if you find that several players or coaches share a similar history, questions are often asked of their current team’s future.

So seems to possibly be the case with the Los Angeles Kings.

The Kings currently have five former members of the Philadelphia Flyers franchise in their system, all in very important roles.

With so much competition in the West, rivalries are beginning to intensify. A perfect example of this would be what is currently occurring in the Golden State. With three possible cup contenders, the division rivalry between teams in California is heating up.

Let's take a look at what each Californian team has to offer.

ANAHEIM DUCKS

Dear Mike Richards,

My Twitter feed told me the other day that you’ve landed in Los Angeles, and I saw a picture of you online putting on your brand new No. 10 Kings jersey. 

I guess that means you really aren’t coming back to Philly.

When the clock struck noon on July 1, very few things were certain. One thing that was: the Philadelphia Flyers were going to make headlines. Paul Holmgren and company certainly didn't disappoint, landing future Hall of Famer Jaromir Jagr, forward Maxim Talbot, and defenseman Andreas Lilja and dealing away winger Kris Versteeg. 

With the dust from day one settling, its time to take a look at how the Flyers fared in free agency. 

According to numerous media outlets, the Toronto Maple Leafs are in serious contention for the Phildelphia Flyers' winger/center Jeff Carter, with many reported proposals being leaked.

Philadelphia Flyers star center Mike Richards always seems to make his presence known in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. This year it may be for the wrong reasons, though.

There has already been a lot of controversy in the NHL playoffs regarding questionable hits to the head when Raffi Torres demolished Brent Seabrook a few games ago.

Now, we have some more controversy, but this time from the other conference.

The NHL is the most underrated sport in this country. There is a little something for everyone in every game, but it doesn't resonate with Americans the way that it should.

Every NHL playoff game is as intense as a Chicago Bears-Green Bay Packers game, but we still fail to acknowledge it.