Head coach Barry Trotz said Richards will not play Thursday against the Canucks, Isabelle Khurshudyan of The Washington Post reports.

EDGE Analysis

Trotz said he would like to get Richards into the lineup before the All-Star game, which would put Richards' debut with the Capitals on or before the Jan.27 match against the Flyers if the timetable holds. It is also possible Richards will be sent down to AHL Hershey for a conditioning stint, as the 30-year-old forward has not played any meaningful hockey since April. In any case, Richards could be in the lineup in the not-too-distant future, so if you're considering rolling the dice on him deeper leagues, stay tuned.

Richards had his contract terminated by the Kings on Monday after he was allegedly stopped by police June 17 and questioned about illegal presciption drugs near a Canadian border crossing, according to a report from TMZ Sports. Richards reportedly wasn't charged with a crime during the police stop, but was asked about the prescription painkiller Oxycodone. It's not clear from the report if Richards was even carrying the drug in question at the time, though the Kings evidently determined from the evidence that the incident represented a "material breach" of the forward's contract with the team. The Kings were thought to be pursuing a buyout of the remainder of Richards' 12-year, $69 million contract, so the timing of the report will likely lead the NHLPA to investigate the situation closely. Regardless of the outcome, Richards is officially an unrestricted free agent and will be free to sign with any team.

SOMETHINGWRONGWITHTHISLINK While the team may not be required to pay the remainder of his contract if the termination holds up, the resulting outcome remains the same for Richards. He is now officially a free agent, and will be free to shop his services elsewhere.

Richards has been placed on waivers, James Mirtle of The Globe and Mail reports. It is assumed that once Richards clears waivers, he will be bought out by the Kings, which will be a big hit to their salary cap as he had a deal that lasted though the 2021-22 season. After the buy out, however, it is very likely a team still has interest in Richards given that he can still be a solid contributor and it will now be for a cheaper price. Richards scored five goals and recorded 11 assists in 53 games with Los Angeles over the 2014-15 season.

Richards logged 11:41 of ice time Monday in his first game since being recalled from the AHL. Richards figures to slot into a checking role with the Kings when he's in the lineup and doesn't figure to make much of an impact as a result.

Richards was recalled from AHL Manchester on Sunday, Lisa Dillman of the Los Angeles Times reports. Richards accumulated 14 points in 16 games with AHL Manchester, earning a recall with the Kings. He will provide depth among the forward ranks while Jarret Stoll sits with a suspected concussion. It's unclear how long his run with the team will last, but a strong performance could make the decision tougher.

Richards cleared waivers on Tuesday, the Los Angeles Times reports. In the absence of a trade, Richards -- who carries a salary cap hit of $5.75 million for the next five seasons -- thus appears on track to head to AHL Manchester to work on his game.

The Kings have placed Richards on waivers, TSN.ca reports. Other NHL teams have 24 hours in which to place a claim on Richards, who carries a salary cap hit of $5.75 million for the next seasons. Per the report, if Richards -- who has recorded 15 points in 47 games for the Kings to date -- goes unclaimed, he would then be assigned to AHL Manchester.

Richards has just four assists and no goals in his last 17 games. Richards had a modest four goals in the first 23 games this season but has seen his production dry up as his shooting percentage has normalized and his ice time has dropped.

Richards tallied his first game-winning goal of the season in Wednesday's victory over the Wild. Richards only has a modest four goals in 23 games on the season, but even that level of production might be a little unsustainable. He's currently sitting on a 15.4 shooting percentage for the season, over four points above his career mark. The former 80-point scorer has seen his production essentially get cut in half since joining Los Angeles three seasons ago, and his point totals may only dip further in 2014-15.