Kings make an aggressive deal to get Mike Richards

Dean Lombardi believes the Kings’ time is now, that the distance to their ultimate goal is shorter than the bumpy road they’ve traveled since he took over an organization that had no depth and no plan to escape the muck of mediocrity.

He has assembled assets, built a balanced defense and — miracle of miracles — found legitimate goaltenders. The question now is whether he knows how to tell time.

If Lombardi has read this right, acquiring center Mike Richards from the Philadelphia Flyers for the hefty price of top prospect Brayden Schenn, gritty winger Wayne Simmonds and a second-round pick in the 2012 draft will significantly boost a team that took a small but definite step back last season. Lombardi said Thursday he had been seeking a top-notch center for months but couldn’t find reason to surrender Schenn until now.

“We clearly moved to that stage at the trade deadline this year that we have to get aggressive now,” Lombardi said. “But the right player has to be there and if you’re going to get into my top guys it has to be the right guy. Fortunately for the franchise I believe this is the right guy.”

Richards, 26, should form a fine 1-2 punch with Anze Kopitar — who will have more offensive freedom — and enable the Kings to match up with Vancouver’s Henrik Sedin and Ryan Kesler, Detroit’s Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, and San Jose’s trio of Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture. “I think that was a big hole,” Lombardi said.

The Kings still have holes on the wing. Ryan Smyth, who scored a team-leading nine power-play goals among his 23 last season, asked to be traded for family reasons and Lombardi said he expects oblige the veteran left wing in a day or two by sending him closer to home — read that as Edmonton or Calgary. The return won’t be much more than a third-round draft pick.

That will take a $6.25 million cap hit off the books and even with restricted free agent Drew Doughty lining up a Brink’s truck the Kings will have cap space for a prime free agent like Dallas’ Brad Richards (no relation to Mike). Mike Richards’ presence could finally make L.A. a desirable destination.

“I think I’ll let the dust settle here and ask me that maybe in a couple days,” Lombardi said of possible free-agent ventures.

The Kings have never spent to the cap limit — which will be $64.3 million next season — but if they’re as far along as Lombardi thinks, it makes sense to up the ante after two straight first-round playoff losses.

Richards, the Flyers’ captain and twice a 30-goal scorer, signed a 12-year, $69-million extension in 2007 that runs through 2019-20 and has an annual salary cap hit of $5.75 million. He has a no-movement clause that kicks in July 1, 2012.

During a conference call Thursday he admitted he was shocked by the trade and alternated between praising the Kings and mourning his departure. He said he and Jeff Carter, also traded by the Flyers on Thursday to clear space for goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov’s nine-year, $51-million deal, envisioned finishing their careers as Flyers and that he probably wouldn’t have signed the extension if he knew he would be dealt.

“It’s disappointing to be traded from a place like Philadelphia where hockey is so big,” said Richards, whose leadership was sometimes questioned by the tough Philly media. “Decisions have to be made…. I think it was more of a business decision than a personal one. Which doesn’t make it easier but at the same time allows you to sleep a little better at night.”

He said he likes the Kings’ makeup. “We have good players in position and a good organization. Hopefully we can take that next step together,” he said, “and I just want to be there and help out in any way possible.”

Surrendering pieces of their future in Simmonds and 2009 No. 5 pick Schenn won’t sting if Richards can make the Kings better than a one-and-done team. It’s about time that happened.

helene.elliott@latimes.com

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