By definition, there is much at stake for every player, every coach and every management person during the playoffs. Careers can be made or derailed. Reputations that will last a lifetime can be established, for better or worse. Jobs can be secured or lost.
There is no Ranger with more personally at stake in this tournament than Brad Richards. When the bell rings on Round 1 against the Flyers on Thursday at the Garden, the 2004 Stanley Cup champion and Conn Smythe Trophy winner could be entering his final days wearing the Blueshirt, though just one-third of the way through his nine-year contract.
For there is the possibility, if not the likelihood, of an amnesty buyout in June driven by the introduction into the collective bargaining agreement of the punitive cap-recapture measure that stands to damage the Rangers if Richards does not complete the contract. And this June represents the final opportunity for teams to trigger amnesty buyouts.
But Richards told The Post following Tuesday’s practice his contract situation is secondary to his ambition to win another Cup, 10 years after he and current teammate Marty St. Louis hoisted the chalice for Tampa Bay.
“It’s been in the back of my mind to a certain extent, it would be a lie if I said it wasn’t there,” the 33-year-old center said. “But it’s not affecting me or weighing on me, or having any impact on my preparation or my game.
“I want to play well in the playoffs because I want to win, not because of whatever impact that might have on their decision, whether it’s been made or not, and that I couldn’t say, because I haven’t talked to anyone in management about it at all,” Richards said.
“Last year it was a lot more on my mind, it consumed me, and it took over my whole situation, to be honest about it.”
Last year, Richards became a healthy scratch for Games 4 and 5 of the second-round series vs. the Bruins, his game having steadily disintegrated in lockstep with the dramatic disintegration of his relationship with coach John Tortorella.
This year, with Alain Vigneault succeeding Tortorella behind the bench, a change that certainly factored into general manager Glen Sather’s decision to march to the beat of his own drum by not buying out Richards last June, Richards was perhaps the Rangers’ best forward the first half of the season before a second-half dip.
Still, the alternate captain completed the regular season as the club’s third-leading scorer with 51 points (20-31), trailing Mats Zuccarello (19-40=59) and Derek Stepan (17-40=57), while only Rick Nash (26) scored more goals for the Blueshirts. Richards also ran the power play from the point, and got 80 more minutes of ice time on the man-advantage unit than the next most heavily played Blueshirt, Derek Stepan.
“I felt pretty good all year,” No. 19 said. “There was a bit of a dry spell in March, but it didn’t fester the way it maybe did in the past because there [was] support and help, and you know it’s not going to last forever.”
Richards is expected to open on the third line, between wings Carl Hagelin and Jesper Fast, though uncertainty regarding the health of second-line center Derick Brassard, who left Tuesday’s practice with an apparent back issue, could have ramifications in the personnel alignment. Nevertheless, Richards is optimistic as the tournament approaches.
“I feel very confident about our team going into this,” said Richards, who has recorded 78 points (28/50) in 93 career playoff matches. “We have a good mix of veterans — young veterans who got a lot of playoff experience two years ago when we went to the conference finals — and kids and I think we have the talent that we can win games in different ways and play with anybody.”
When the Rangers signed Richards as a free agent in July 2011, he was supposed to be the missing link. Now, three years later, these could be his final days.
“I believe that everything works out for a reason,” said Richards, an important presence in the locker room. “I’m under contract to the Rangers and I’m going to put everything I have into playing for the Rangers until someone tells me that I’m not on the team anymore.
“I’m going to put my best foot forward, and if I do that, I’ll be able to sleep at night,” he said. “But the contract isn’t what’s motivating me.
“Winning the Stanley Cup is.”