A lot of people have been on Richards for a while and maybe deservedly so, but I'm still on the fence about him, I don't want him for the amount of years he wants at 31 already and I don't want him on top of that for the amount of money he wants.  We've had discussions about alternatives, one name that I'm not sure has been brought up is Patrick Sharp, the 28 year old center is supposedly available for trade, and if that's at all true why not take a stab at grabbing Sharp?  His numbers have improved each year, and while it seems that it may be because of the talent around him, this year he continued to produce while Toews and Kane were out of the lineup, which suggest he does not need the two to perform.  I'm not sure what the asking price would be for a player like him, but given the situations that may arise in Chicago trying to hold onto certain players and having some players locked up for centuries ala Marian Hossa, could this be another alternative to Richards?  Obviously it's going to take a lot to get a player like Sharp especially after having a career year, his 3.9 mil cap hit also works great, since he only has one more year left on his contract, could we possibly leave Richards be and try to grab sharp around the deadline this year? Sharp like Richards played the point on the Power Play, and is a cup veteran

Sharp leaves a lot of options open as we can attempt to trade for him this season, and his cap hit will be minor for what his actual worth is, we could then use the money to ensure we get our other RFA's signed, and if he doesn't work out, he's gone in a year.  If he does, then the money we saved by not signing Richards would go to him as a 29 year old, and a 4 or 5 year deal puts him at 34 rather than 36 or 37 for Richards...  

This is all purely speculation as I'm not sure the availability of a guy like Sharp, even though it's rumored they would be open to trading him.  I'm not sure what it would take, obviously it's different worth's depending on when he's traded (if he's trade for during the offseason, his worth may be a lot higher than during the deadline times).

I would propose depending on who's available during the draft:

This years 1st Rounder, MDZ, Valentanko, and possibly another prospect... (Grachev)

My trade value could be way off, and it's of course bias because I'm a ranger fan and may overvalue certain players such as MDZ and tank... in all reality, they'd probably request Anisimov in return which I'm still not sure I would do... 

What do you think it would take, if you'd want him at all?