Why Brad Richards' Renaissance Will Continue in 2013-14

When you make a mistake, the honorable thing to do is admit that mistake, and own up to it. During the summer, this writer suggested that the New York Rangers should have bought out Brad Richards, and it is a good thing that this writer doesn't have a job in the front office.

Ultimately the Rangers ended up making the right call, and they will benefit from him continuing his renaissance for the rest of the season. Why will he do this? Confidence. 

Richards will continue to be a factor for the Blueshirts because he has his confidence and swagger back. During the preseason it was talked about how Richards worked out hard over the summer and how there was a clean slate, but all of that was just white noise.

There needed to be some actions to back up those words, and Richards has done that thus far.

Through the Rangers' first 19 games, Broadway Brad has 16 points. He has scored six goals and has assisted on 10 others, and he also has a plus-5 rating. These are amazing numbers when you juxtapose them against his totals from the 2012-13 campaign, and it is evident that the real Brad Richards is back. 

But why is this the case? At the beginning of the season Alain Vigneault shifted Richards to wing because of a logjam at center. It wasn't the first time that Richards was moved to wing, and he talked about his comfort at the position with Steve Zipay of Newsday:

"

I've played [wing] a little in Tampa, and played with [Mike] Modano in Dallas, I can't remember, but I've never really played full time. If it works, it's great. We've still got two guys [Ryan Callahan and Carl Hagelin] out and we've got three centers who want to play in offensive situations. Hopefully, with [Stepan] and Nash, we can get something going.

"

The move put Richards in a position where he was thinking shoot-first, and that is evident by the amount of shots he has taken thus far. Richards has been credited with 65 shots on goal through 19 games played. That puts Richards 21st overall in the league for shots taken, and it averages to 3.42 shots each game.

The move took pressure off Richards, because it is easier to get into a position to shoot than orchestrate offense from center ice.

Centers for the most part are facilitators of offense that carry the puck up the ice, and they then distribute the puck to a winger or defender They also have to play a more defensive role, and that additional responsibility can make the position taxing. There are exceptions with players like Steven Stamkos—an offensive dynamos who loves to shoot—but for the most part centers are playmakers.

Richards had been struggling with indecisiveness, and it led to turnovers and poor decisions with the puck. 

As stated earlier, Vigneault has instilled confidence in Richards, and he has been put in positions to use his talents. For example, a couple of days ago Richards talked about the Blueshirts' success on the man advantage, and it is safe to say that has played a factor in Richards' resurgence. As he told Katie Strang of ESPNNewYork.com: 

"

It feels like a power-play. It didn't feel like much of a power-play last year.

We have a purpose out there and it's the same power-play every night. We can work together on it. We practice it every day. The guys on it, everybody's communicating in practice. Everyone has a voice on it. It's fun to be cohesive like that.

"

These subtle changes have made a huge impact in an area the Rangers struggled last year, and it has also helped Richards' game. He is playing some of his best hockey in years, and the Rangers are winning games.

One of the biggest reasons Richards was signed back in 2011 was because of his power-play efficiency with the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Dallas Stars, and this year the Rangers are seeing glimpses of that player.

More importantly, he is remaining consistent. Here is a look at his most recent games, and it shows that he is being a factor for the Rangers:

Game	Goals	Assists	Points	+/-	TOI
5 Games	1	5	6	7	16:54
11/6 vs. PIT	0	2	2	2	18:52
11/7 vs. CBJ	0	1	1	2	17:26
11/10 vs. FLA	1	1	2	2	19:05
11/12 vs. NJD	0	0	0	0	20:55
11/16 vs. MTL	0	1	1	1	17:24

This hasn't always been the case for Richards, and it shows growth as a player. While people point to Richards' first season in New York as a success, his scoring was in bunches. Here is a chart of how Richards scored by month during his first season in New York:

Month	Games Played	Goals	Assists	Points	PPG
2011-12 Totals	82	25	41	66	0.80
2012-13 Totals	46	11	23	34	0.74
2013-14 Totals to Date	19	6	10	16	0.84
October	10	3	6	9	0.90
November	11	6	4	10	0.90
December	15	4	5	9	0.60
January	12	3	2	5	0.41
February	13	2	7	9	0.69
March	17	7	15	22	1.29
April	4	0	2	2	0.50
January	7	2	4	6	0.85
February	12	0	7	7	0.58
March	13	3	2	5	0.38
April	14	6	10	16	1.14
October	12	5	4	9	0.75
November	7	1	6	7	1.00

All in all, Richards is playing solid hockey, and the Blueshirts are looking like a decent hockey team. They are bound to continue getting better as more chemistry develops, and they could be a dangerous team later in the season.