NHL

Rangers’ Richards deserved the hook

Brad Richards left his coach no choice.

Which, when it comes right down to it, is just as well, because any time the Rangers have gone on the power play in the playoffs, John Tortorella has chosen to use Richards, regardless of how dysfunctional the center’s game had become.

In that regard, the healthy scratch of Richards from the Rangers’ 4-3, season-saving victory over the Bruins in Game 4 Thursday night at the Garden saves the coach from himself, his instincts, and his loyalty to one of his all-time favorite players.

Understand this. Tortorella will lose no one in the room because of this decision. There was far greater risk of him losing the room, as it were, by continuing to give Richards critical ice time that he did not earn.

Fact: Before Thursday night, the coach turned to Richards on every single full power play during the playoffs. Fact: Richards’ 37:54 of power play time, divided between the points and forward, was second on the club to Rick Nash’s 39:48. Fact: The Rangers, 0-for-10 against Boston, 0-for-their last 21, and 2-for-38 overall with the man advantage, have not scored a power play goal in the tournament with Richards on the ice.

Hockey can’t be about the past. Games and playoff rounds cannot be won on credit. If it’s not quite a matter of, “What have you done for me lately?” it must be a matter of, “What can you do for me today?” and not, “I will reward you for what you did for me yesterday.”

This is not a philosophy I have just recently adopted, by the way. For reference, check out the chunks of space I devoted to this very issue during Mark Messier’s final season on Broadway in 2003-04.

The fact of the matter is the decline in Richards’ game has been a steep one. He has not been able to keep up with the pace. His quickness and playmaking ability have been severely compromised.

This was obvious through most of the regular season during which he recorded 34 points (11 goals, 23 assists) in 46 games, a misleading number boosted by a nine-point (four-goal, five-assist) outburst over the final six games against inferior opposition.

There also has been no escaping reality during the playoffs, where Richards has one point — a goal into an unguarded net in Game 3 against Washington when Braden Holtby was trapped in no man’s land following a puck-handling gaffe — and has been a liability in the defensive zone no matter the match.

Richards couldn’t play top six minutes. He couldn’t direct the power play, his game mired in indecisiveness borne by a crisis in confidence. He couldn’t physically match up with Boston’s fourth line centered by Gregory Campbell.

The move to remove Richards from the lineup entirely after his demotion to the fourth line beginning with Game 6 against the Capitals continues the parallel with Alex Rodriguez that was addressed in this space on Saturday.

Richards’ demotion equates to Rodriguez being pinch hit for in last October’s playoffs against the Orioles. The scratch equates to Alex Rodriguez being benched later in that same series.

Though the Yankees are saddled with Rodriguez’s massive contract going forward and will thus face complex luxury-tax issues and payroll decisions because of it, the Rangers will have the opportunity to use their second and final amnesty buyout on Richards’ contract this summer, and thus delete the $6.67 million cap charge that is currently on the books through 2019-20.

The Rangers might have wanted to defer that decision for another summer so they could give Richards another year with a training camp to re-establish himself. It is possible that he could re-establish a credible game given that chance.

But Derek Stepan and Derrick Brassard will have to be the Rangers’ top two centers next year. Someone other than Richards will have to be given the chance to quarterback the power play. So reasons to defer the buyout decision don’t seem to exist.

If J.T. Miller had been healthy rather than at home with an injured wrist, Tortorella would have been forced to confront the possibility of scratching Richards far sooner than this. But by the time elimination loomed last night, even with minor-leaguer Kris Newbury as the replacement option, Tortorella simply had no choice.

larry.brooks@nypost.com