For the Los Angeles Kings to move forward after a disappointing season, the weight of Mike Richards' contract must be lifted off their books.

Finding a trade partner is a major task on general manager Dean Lombardi's summer to-do list, according to Pierre LeBrun of ESPN:

The Kings would dearly love to move Richards’ contract, which still has five more years on it at a $5.75 million cap hit. But to do that, they will need to sweeten the pot by adding another asset. Whether that’s a draft pick of value, a player or a prospect, the Kings will need to entice another team with another asset or two if they want to get a deal done.

Nothing is imminent on the trade front, but it's possible the acquiring team would make the deal with a view to buying out Richards' contract, so the real point of the deal being the addition of the asset included in the deal.

Teams may, however, value his leadership and experience, meaning the Kings would be vulnerable to cap recapture penalties should he decide to retire before his deal expires.

The 30-year-old, who contributed to both of the Kings' recent Stanley Cup wins, scored only five goals and added 11 assists in 53 games this past season, spending a chunk of time in the AHL after being placed on waivers in January.