The Brad Richards sweepstakes

For those of you who don't follow hockey, or are just a casual hockey fan, Brad Richards is the biggest free agent on the market this summer. Since the NBA is about to go into a lockout and the NFL is still in a lockout, all that's left for sports fans right now are hockey and baseball. Brad Richards had 28 goals, 49 assists and 77 points this season in 72 games played. When Brad Richards is healthy, he is a dominant force, setting up players for goals as well as putting the biscuit in the net himself. He had a career high 28 goals this past season, tied for 34th in the league and his 77 points ranked him 10th on the list for overall points, so he's a pretty big deal. He also had 22 assists and a total of 29 points on the power play, good for 12th and 14th respectively. He wants to go to a team that will contend for the Stanley Cup and has the cap space for him, that being said, here's how it looks for every team in the NHL...

His contract will most likely be in the $6 million + range per year
Anaheim Ducks: They could move Saku Koivu down to the third line and if Teemu Selanne comes back, it's possible that Brad Richards could center a line with Bobby Ryan
Boston Bruins: The Bruins are loaded at center and I don't expect them to go after Richards
Buffalo Sabres: Ehrhoff is now in Buffalo and the ownership group is not afraid to spend money, will Brad Richards end up playing alongside Thomas Vanek?
Calgary Flames: They need to sign some defencemen first and are also short on cap space
Carolina Hurricanes: With $23 million in cap space and needing a guy behind Eric Staal, they could go after Richards, the question is, would Richards want to play for Carolina?
Chicago Blackhawks: They traded away Brian Campbell's 7 million dollar a year contract and still don't have enough space to sign players
Colorado Avalanche: They have $30 million to throw around and have more pressing needs on the team, I don't think Richards would want to come to a team that is still rebuilding and their first priority is getting a #1 goalie.
Columbus Blue Jackets: They just traded for Jeff Carter, however, I doubt Richards will go to a team that has a weak fan base and not very good playoff potential
Dallas Stars: They said they weren't going to try to pursue him when they let him go
Detroit Red Wings: They need defencemen first, however, if there's money leftover, Brad Richards would most certainly be willing to play for a team that is always a Stanley Cup Contender
Edmonton Oilers: they're young, rebuilding, not likely to play for them, unless they get a few more pieces...
Florida Panthers: They have the money, but for Richards to play for Florida, the Panthers would have to acquire a lot of pieces to put around him.
Los Angeles Kings: They just dumped Ryan Smyth, it wouldn't be a bad thing to use that cap space for Richards, but they have a ton of centers...
Minnesota Wild: They have great goaltending, they have great defense, they just need somebody on offense! They have the cap space and the pieces are already there, it's just a matter of Brad Richards wanting to take a chance with them.
Montreal Canadiens: The team with the most Stanley Cups, they could lure Richards to Montreal, but would Richards want to play for them? A city where fans will turn against their players if they do not perform.
Nashville Predators: They just bought out J.P. Dumont which adds $2.33 million to their cap, allowing them to pursue Brad Richards, they have great goaltending, great defencemen, and had a fight with Vancouver in the conference semi-finals. They're a good team, and fully capable of going after the Cup as they proved this past off-season, they just need a little more offense, which is what Brad Richards can provide them.
New Jersey Devils: It depends on how Zach Parise negotiations go, if he signs a big contract for the Devils, they're not going after Brad Richards
New York Islanders: Not many players want to play for the Islanders right now...
New York Rangers: They dumped Chris Drury in anticipation of creating space to sign Brad Richards, will he join them?
Ottawa Senators: Ottawa is rebuilding and has other issues they need to figure out
Philadelphia Flyers: They traded their top two centers, and still can't afford Brad Richards
Phoenix Coyotes: They're broke, they ain't got the money to throw around for Brad Richards
Pittsburgh Penguins: With Crosby and Geno coming back, there's no space for Brad Richards down the middle
San Jose Sharks: Another team stacked down the middle
St. Louis Blues: They didn't make the playoffs, but they sure do have an awful lot of talent there
Tampa Bay Lightning: Brad Richards would be interested in going back to Tampa, but they need to figure out Stamkos' contract as well as re-signing Bergenheim and Purcell, if they have the money leftover, he could come back
Toronto Maple Leafs: They have some talent, but in a hockey crazed nation such as Toronto, they will go nuts if Richards turns out to be a bust
Vancouver Canucks: Their top two centers are Henrik Sedin and Ryan Kesler, they don't need Brad Richards, nor can they afford it
Washington Capitals: With the signing of Brooks Laich, it all but eliminates the Caps from going after Brad Richards
Winnipeg Jets: They have talent, a lot of good players and a very good shot at making the playoffs next year, would Brad Richards want to join them?

That's my thoughts on the Brad Richards sweepstakes, we'll most likely have an answer in the next week.