The Chicago Blackhawks filled their hole at second-line centre by securing the services of a veteran at a cut-rate price. Numbers Game look at the Blackhawks signing Brad Richards. The Blackhawks Get: C Brad Richards. Richards, 34, has been a productive scorer throughout his career, but that productivity has waned as he approaches his mid-thirties. While he finished with a respectable 51 points in 82 games last season, that 0.62 points per game represented a career low and the second-lowest rate of his career was in 2012-2013, when he had 0.74 points per game. The downward trend is pretty clear at this point. He played 18:40 per game last season, his lowest average time on ice since his rookie season in 2000-2001. Given the massive contract that Richards had with the New York Rangers (nine years, $60-million), and the new recapture penalties that were imposed in the latest collective bargaining agreement, the Rangers had little choice but to buy out Richards, after paying him $33-million for the first three years of his deal. A long and productive career leaves Richards with few needs financially, so he went into his newfound free agency looking for a good fit and settled on joining the Blackhawks, a Stanley Cup contender who could use an upgrade at their second-line centre spot. In the past couple years, even as his point production has started to fall, Richards has had his zone starts tilted towards the offensive zone, with more than 65% of his shifts starting in the offensive zone. As a result, hes had strong possession stats, which may be enough to suggest that, even in decline, in a sheltered role, Richards would be an upgrade on Michal Handzus as Chicagos number two centre. In Chicago, there is a good opportunity for Richards to have a productive year. Any combination of the Blackhawks top scoring wingers includes Patrick Sharp, Marian Hossa, Patrick Kane and Brandon Saad, so playing with two of them ought to give Richards a chance to have decent even-strength production. Whether Richards can match last seasons scoring totals, however, probably will have some dependence on power play production and, over the past couple seasons, Richards has really struggled to produce with the man advantage. Furthermore, Richards presence likely means that top Blackhawks prospect Teuvo Teravainen wont be starting the season in Chicago and that may be fine for his overall development, but if Teravainen shows that hes ready, it would be easy enough to see Richards bumped down the depth chart, as has happened from time to time with the Rangers over the past couple seasons. There is a benefit to the contract that Richards signed with Chicago -- a one-year, $2-million deal -- in that his declining production in New York was frequently contrasted with how much money the Rangers had tied up to get him. Now, Richards is a bargain signing and if he gives Chicago decent second-line production, he would bring a positive return on investment. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. Wholesale NFL Jerseys 2020 . Acclaimed by world football leaders but held in contempt by many football fans. Blatter should arrive at the Itaquerao stadium in Sao Paulo to watch host Brazil play Croatia confident that this tournament -- his fifth as president -- wont be his last leading the worlds favourite sport. NFL Jerseys Wholesale . Under the deal, the Vikings will donate an undisclosed sum of money to five gay rights-related charities over the next five years. Kluwe said he wont receive any money as part of the settlement. "This will help a lot of people that really do need that help," Kluwe said. https://www.nfljerseys2020.com/. Showing more spark after not taking enough challenging shots on goal in their 1-0 loss Friday night, the Bruins had 18 shots in the first period after managing just 25 in the entire opener. Luke Glendening cut Bostons lead to 2-1 at 13:20 of the second period before Milan Lucic scored late in the second and Zdeno Chara added a power-play goal early in the third. NFL Jerseys 2020 . Head coach Lindy Ruff confirmed on Sunday that his starting goalie has a head injury and the team will take it day by day. Cheap NFL Jerseys China . -- The Green Bay Packers have signed quarterback Graham Harrell to the active roster from the practice squad and placed tight end Andrew Quarless on injured reserve.PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Eagles got their safety quickly. The Eagles and former New Orleans Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins agreed on a three-year contract Tuesday, shortly after NFL free agency began. Its worth $16.25 million, including $8.5 million guaranteed, according to a person familiar with the deal who spoke on condition of anonymity because the team didnt announce terms. "Malcolm is someone weve had our eye on for quite a while," general manager Howie Roseman said. "He has been a productive player his entire football career, both in New Orleans and at Ohio State. Everything you hear about Malcolm as a person is true. He was a two-time defensive captain with the Saints and is a high-character player. We are excited to add a guy like that to the culture we have established here." The move came shortly after veteran safety Patrick Chung was released. The Eagles also agreed to a three-year deal with punter Donnie Jones. Jenkins, the 14th overall pick in the 2009 draft, started 63 games in five seasons with the Saints. He fills a major need for the NFC East champions, and should bolster a pass defence that was the worst in the NFL last year. The Eagles have had a revolving door at safety for a few years since former All-Pro Brian Dawkins left Philadelphia. Jenkins had 48 tackles, 2 1/2 sacks, two interceptions and two forced fumbles in 14 games last year, helping the Saints finish second against the pass. "We really liked Malcollms versatility," coach Chip Kelly said.dddddddddddd "He can line up at either safety spot, can come in and make a tackle and can play man-to-man as well. I had a chance to study him on tape leading up to the playoff game and really liked what I saw. Hes a sharp kid and is ultra-competitive. We are really happy to have him in Philadelphia." The Eagles lost to the Saints in a first-round playoff game in Philadelphia. Jenkins has 358 career tackles, six interceptions, six forced fumbles and 4 1/2 sacks. "Very excited about being a part of the (at)Eagles organization! I loved every minute I spent in New Orleans but all good things come to an end," Jenkins wrote on Twitter. Jenkins becomes the third safety on Philadelphias roster, joining Earl Wolff and Keelan Johnson. The Eagles havent re-signed Nate Allen, Kurt Coleman or Colt Anderson. Jarius Byrd and T.J. Ward were considered the top safeties available, but the team felt Jenkins is a better fit for its 3-4 defence. Keeping Jones was a priority for special teams. Jones set team records with 33 punts inside the 20 and a net average of 40.5 in his first season in Philadelphia last year. "Donnie proved he was a great weapon for us last year," Kelly said. "He had a really good season for us. I like the fact that we continued our trend of re-signing our core players. Hes a good teammate and a player we prioritized during this free agency process." ' ' '