Richardson returning to Binghamton
OTTAWA SENATORS AFFILIATE: B-Sens coach with 122-82-11-13 record gets one-year contract extension
Let’s ask Ryan Dzingel. “Having guys like Luke Richardson around you, he teaches you the intangibles,” Dzingel said before leaving the Senators development camp earlier this week. “Little things on the ice that you don’t think about, that you wouldn’t normally do. Like in the defensive zone, coming off a guy’s shoulder a certain way, or taking angles, or little things on faceoffs.
“I’ve learned a lot from Luke to help me in my game.”
Fortunately for Dzingel and the rest of the class headed to Binghamton in 2015-16, Richardson will be back for a fourth season with the Senators’ American Hockey League affiliate. Although it was a foregone conclusion, the Senators made the announcement of a one-year extension official on Tuesday.
“That’s really good for me,” says Richardson, who has a record of 12282-11-13 with the B-Sens. “I want to make sure that at end of each year I still love it. I really like helping young players. It’s gratifying to see players have success and get called up” to the NHL.
Sometimes, though, that’s a bittersweet scenario for a minor-league operation.
Binghamton was short on experience a year ago following the departure of centre Stephane Da Costa to the KHL and the fact that Mike Hoffman landed a full-time spot with Ottawa.
Once centre Jean-Gabriel Pageau cemented himself a spot in the lineup and goaltender Andrew Hammond went on his incredible streak in Ottawa, the AHL squad was playing short-handed.
Richardson optimistically predicts the B-Sens will be new and improved thanks to a lineup that should include the additions of forwards Eric O’Dell, Nick Paul and Tobias Lindberg, along with defencemen Mikael Wikstrand and Ben Harpur and goaltender Matt O’Connor. He also says Dzingel, fellow forward Max McCormick and goaltender Chris Driedger have benefited from the experience gained in the AHL last season.
“Balancing winning with development is tough, but winning is a skill you have to learn,” Richardson says. “There were a lot of pluses from a season where we had to scratch and claw, and we were better at the end of the year. It just took us a little longer to get there.”
Richardson, 46, still spends his summers in Ottawa and likes the versatility of a short-term contract, allowing him the possibility to pursue an NHL head coaching job next summer.
He tested the NHL waters following the 2014-15 season and acknowledges some disappointment — “I never got a call,” he says — believing he would have benefited from the interviewing process.
While his deal with the Senators includes an out-clause if he was offered an NHL job during the season, Richardson says he wouldn’t likely take that route.
“Once you start something you like to finish it, and in those situations you’re often just putting out fires,” he says, giving current Senators coach Dave Cameron praise for his success after taking over from Paul MacLean last December.
“If I ever got a chance, the best chance would be in the summer. You can talk to veteran players, key players, see what’s going on.”