Arizona Coyotes: What Brad Richardson Adds To Team

New Arizona Coyotes Forward Brad Richardson Good Addition

Richardson comes to the Arizona Coyotes via the free agency market from the Vancouver Canucks.

More from Coyotes News

GM Don Maloney has had his eye on Richardson whenever he played against the Desert Dogs. He likes his face-off capabilities (51.5%), and his physical play (453 hits in 509 NHL games), and projects he will aid in puck possession numbers, as well. GMDM likes Brad Richardson’s speed, intelligence and toughness, and is hopeful that he will play well for his fourth NHL team.

Here is a sample of Richardson’s speed and shooting capabilities when he scored against his new team, and caused Mike Smith to be yanked from goal.

Maloney must have seen something in him to sign him to a three year contract worth $6.25 million. He has been pegged by Head Coach Dave Tippett to be line-mates with Shane Doan, and Tobias Rieder. They seem to complement each other, with Rieder being the young player (22), Richardson (30) being a ten year NHL player, and the veteran Doan (39 one day after season begins) contributing his seasoned veteran expertise. There’s speed (Speeder Rieder), toughness, with good fore-checking abilities (Richardson), and experience with excellent leadership (Doan). All good qualities for a successful line.

Last season Richardson’s season was cut short, due to an injury, which saw him playing in just 45 games. He did well in that short number of games, by tallying eight goals and 13 assists. He’s been around a bit, playing three years with Colorado, five years with L.A., and two years most recently with Vancouver. He’s excited to be in the valley, and wants to show the local fans what he can do to help improve his new team.

"“I feel really comfortable (signing with Arizona) and I feel like I’m going to be a big part of this team,” said Richardson, who agreed to a three-year deal on July 1. “That was one of the reasons I really wanted to go there.”"

“He said the people around the organization are great and all the guys are awesome and it’s a great spot to live,” Richardson said. “Radim was one of the guys who was really high on Arizona so that kind of made me think about them.”

Fellow Canuck team-mate, and former Arizona Coyotes right wing Radim Vrbata gave Richardson high recommendations about playing in Arizona. Richardson will wear the #12 jersey, and feels the main reason he signed with the Arizona Coyotes was he likes the direction the team is headed. If he can play well, he can assist the team in their bid to overcome a less than attractive season they experienced last year.

With line-mates like Doan and Rieder, Richardson will have every opportunity to show the fans and the management that he made a wise decision in signing with the Arizona Coyotes.

Brad Richardson’s Player Card:

Next: Arizona Coyotes: Free Agent Signings

More from Howlin' Hockey

Home/Coyotes News