There are some trades that are made around the deadline that just sneak up on you. No reporting or anything, just kind of materializing out of thin air at the last minute. But if Brad Richards is moved, that won't be the case. People have been speculating about Richards being on the move for weeks now.
But that doesn't change his approach, according to Mark Stepneski at ESPN. Richards showed up to work this morning just like every day, and says there is "nothing to talk about."
“It’s status quo for me. I woke up today, came to work and did what we planned on doing yesterday. I just plan on doing that,” Richards said. “Nothing has been presented to me that’s going to make any change in what I am doing. Until that happens there is nothing really to talk about.”
Which is all pretty much what you might expect him to say. He's professional enough not to say anything about a trade that hasn't happened yet. But he also understands that it's a business, and he might not be in Dallas by the end of the day.
“I’m a Dallas Star. These are my friends, “ Richards said. “I do understand that Joe has to do a job and he’s got to look at what is best for the franchise. That’s the business we’re in, it happens all the time. There’s no hard feelings. We’ve been open to know what’s going on. Still doesn’t mean I’ll waive my no-trade. I’ve told him all along that if he has something, I’ll look at it and try to make a decision on it.”
The article also says that the Stars and Richards haven't gotten very far in contract negotiations, and claims that he has a lot of questions about the direction of the franchise.