"He is now our leading scorer. He draws the toughest opponents, on a nightly basis. He's called to do all jobs on this team: five-on-three both ways, five-on-four both ways, checking assignments, faceoffs."
That list could go on.
"There is a lot that is asked of him," Laviolette said.
Most noticeably, Richards was paired up with players like Andreas Nodl, who many wrote off as a scorer, and James van Riemsdyk, who couldn't score to save his spot on the roster. Richards has brought them back to life.
Richards' do-it-all mentality - from digging out pucks in the corners to feed his teammates to forcing turnovers in the defensive zone to create a rush - has allowed van Riemsdyk and Nodl to pick up most of the headlines recently.
"That line has been our best line recently," Laviolette said. "I think people are realizing that Nodl is a pretty good hockey player that can score. And 'JVR' has come back with a little bit of fire. That line has been effective."
Since they were first assembled six games ago, van Riemsdyk has more than doubled his season point total with six points. Nodl had just five points in his first 48 NHL games but already has six goals and four assists in 16 games this season.
Richards, meanwhile, is on pace for his third straight 30-goal season. He leads the Flyers with 16 assists. He missed practice yesterday with what Laviolette termed as a "maintenance" day, but Nodl didn't hesitate when asked about his line's new-found chemistry.
"I think whoever plays with Richards, he makes a lot out of nothing," Nodl said. "He makes the other players around him better. I think we've had a lot of chances recently, and I think that comes from being comfortable. A lot of times, lines change, but it seems like I've been really comfortable with those two guys [Richards and JVR].
