The ice was empty, the locker room, too, when Brad Richards walked in front of his stall.
"Obviously it was the wrong day to come back," the Rangers center joked, just before skating on his own, after missing the first three days of training camp with the flu.
Richards' return Wednesday came when the Rangers did not have a regular practice and held off-ice meetings and video work instead, but he was optimistic the illness had passed and even more confident his absences in an already-minuscule training camp would have little impact on the start of the season, two days away.
"Obviously I would've liked to have been here the last three days, but there's only so much you're gonna get out of practicing anyway," Richards said at the MSG Training Center. "It's just bad timing. You just miss being out there doing some game-situation stuff and working with my linemates. That's the biggest thing. In the big scheme of things, three days, when you look back on it is probably not gonna make a big difference."
Entering his second season with the Rangers, Richards is coming off a 25-goal, 41-assist campaign, which marked his lowest point-total in a full season since 2001-02, but he acknowledged that despite the lockout-shortened season, this season will be easier, no longer having to acclimate to new surroundings, teammates, coaches and systems.
After claiming a No. 1 seed and reaching the Eastern Conference Finals last season, Richards knows the expectations will be even higher this year. It's just what he thinks the team needs.
"I think it's a good pressure for us to realize that we have some things to accomplish and we're not just out here to try and make the playoffs or stay in the middle of the packWe do want to push ourselves to be up top again," Richards said. "We have to realize everybody knows who we are and knows the expectations. We're not surprising anybody. We're gonna have to play better than we did last year to even have a chance to have that record."
On a team with heightened expectations, Richards is expected to be part of a line, including Rick Nash and Carl Hagelin, which will draw the biggest spotlight. The lack of practice time with his linemates doesn't concern the center, perhaps because he's far too intrigued at the possibilities. Richards knows what to expect of Nash, a five-time all-star in his first season in New York, while the Swedish speedster is starting to give hints at what his second season may look like.
"I'm excited to play with [Hagelin] because he's already better than he was last year," Richards said. "Obviously he has the speed, but he's starting to calm down with the puck and make plays." I think already you see him trying things and making heady plays. I think that's a big step for him. And with that speed, he's just so dangerous."
Hagelin often played with Richards last season, posting 14 goals and 24 assists in 64 games, and is thrilled at the possibility of having Nash complete the trio. Hagelin stressed the importance of getting them the puck as much as possible.
"It's important to read off them and see what they're doing and when they have the puck, find open areas to score," "There's a lot of things I learned last year, how to use my speed, when to use it, be smart about it and maybe be more selfish around the net and take more shots.They'll get so much attention on the ice and they need someone to chase down pucks for them and I'm here for that too," Hagelin said.
* The Rangers acquired forward Brandon Mashinter from the San Jose Sharks for forward Tommy Grant and a conditional 2014 draft pick. Mashinter, 24, has two goals and three assists, along with 44 penalty minutes, in 30 games with the Worcester Sharks of the AHL this season.
howard.kussoy@nypost.com
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