It was with particular interest that Todd Richards read the news last week that the NHL abolished the executive/coach compensation rule after just one year.

As of Jan. 1, teams will not be required to give up a draft pick in exchange for hiring away a coach or general manager still under contract with another organization.

Richards, fired seven games into the season this year by the Columbus Blue Jackets, is happy the rule is gone.

"All coaches would feel that way," Richards said Monday over the phone from Columbus. "Because if you’re looking to move up as an assistant coach somewhere, or you’re a fired coach looking for a job and still under contract, for a lot of teams that’s just a negative [draft pick compensation], unless you’re in the big names. Now it’s opened up the door for all the other coaches."

Richards still has a year and a half left on his Blue Jackets contract but obviously hopes to sign elsewhere before it expires if an opportunity arises. In the meantime, he’s enjoying the silver lining: being home for the holidays for once and spending quality time with his family.

"I’ve been watching a lot of hockey. I’ve been able to spend time with my family," he said. "I’ve got a senior in high school that’s still playing [hockey], he plays Triple-A level here so he travels all over the place. My wife has always been the one that’s traveled with him. Now I’m the one that gets the opportunity to go and watch him play."

Richards was fired Oct. 21 after the Jackets’ 0-7-0 start, the team coming into this season with high expectations after a strong finish last season, plus the offseason addition of Brandon Saad.

Enough time has passed now that Richards is at peace with his firing.

"You think about it, and you think about all the time I’ve spent here. I loved it," said Richards. "There’s great people here, great relationships here, there’s a really good group of guys in the room, great staff and front-office people, ownership is great, it’s a great city. I still believe that team is really close despite where they are in the standings. There’s great, young players coming up in the system. It should be an exciting team to watch this year and in years to come."

Like most coaches, Richards has looked back to make sure he has learned from what’s transpired in order to be better in his next go-around.

"You have to reflect back on what went right and what went wrong," he said. "You have to figure out what allows you to have success and where your failure was. You try to grow from it. But I really enjoyed my time here."