Report: Kings have 'no viable suitors' for potential Richards trade

Trading veteran forward Mike Richards is proving no easy task for the Los Angeles Kings.

It hasn't been a secret that the team seemingly wants to move on from the 30-year-old, but a possible trade partner has been hard to find, according to LA Kings Insider Jon Rosen.

Rosen writes:

I'm getting the strong feeling, through multiple channels, that there hasn't been any clear movement, and no viable suitors have stepped forward at this time. Similar to the attempt to move the center near the trading deadline, there are simply no proposals that make any sense for the Kings as of this writing. Could that change? Sure, it could change. But don't expect Richards back next year.

Rosen suggests that, if Richards can't be moved, the team could buy him out. However, that would see the Kings pay him at least $1.47 million a season until the end of the 2024-25 campaign - not ideal for a player not on the roster.

Richards is owed $22 million over the next four seasons after signing a monstrous 12-year contract in 2008.