Richards, 25, was added to the roster on emergency recall from Cleveland on April 1. He made his Blue Jackets debut that night vs. Florida and picked up his first point with the club with an assist in Sunday's 4-3 overtime win over the Ottawa Senators. He had appeared in one prior NHL contest with the New York Rangers and tallied 0-1-1 on May 8, 2021 at Boston.
The Orlando, Florida native has registered 20-40-60 and 83 penalty minutes in 141 career AHL games with the Monsters and Hartford Wolf Pack since making his professional debut in 2020-21. The 5-11, 190-pound forward ranks third on the Monsters in assists and fourth in points this season, collecting 10-25-35 and 50 PIM in 54 contests. He spent three seasons at the University of Minnesota-Duluth from 2017-20 and played for the Ohio AAA Blue Jackets from 2012-16. He signed a one-year NHL/AHL contract with the Blue Jackets on Dec. 19, 2022.
The Blue Jackets return to action on Tuesday when they visit the Toronto Maple Leafs. Game time from Scotiabank Arena is 7 p.m. ET. Live coverage on Bally Sports Ohio begins with the Blue Jackets Live pre-game show starting at 6:30 p.m. The game can also be heard on the Blue Jackets Radio Network, including 97.1 The Fan, and online at BlueJackets.com.
