TSN's Darren Dreger reports that the Kings aren't planning to use a buyout on Mike Richards, but that doesn't mean that he's guaranteed to be on the roster next year. It shouldn't come as a surprise that he doesn't want to be a fourth-line center next season, but the Kings don't want to be faced the proposition of trying to replace him. Dreger reports: "The Kings are expected to push Richards in the off-season to improve his conditions and get a little bit stronger. But we also know that Richards is a strong and confident young man and he may not want to follow the path that the Kings want him to follow. So this could get very interesting."