With Sidney Crosby and Evegeni Malkin backing out of next week's All-Star game with injuries, the NHL's hockey operations department has to find replacements.

They might have been thinking about Mike Richards, who until Claude Giroux's four-point ouburst in today's 4-1 win in Chicago, was the Flyers' leading scorer.

Not only would Richards be ideal because the Flyers are the best team in the NHL record-wise - but Richards would give the league a little name recognition to replace the hurt of losing it's star player - Crosby - and one of the game's other big names in Malkin.

However, the NHL can scratch Richards off the list.

"It's not too late for them to ask me, but it's too late for me to say yes that I would go," Richards said after the game. "I've already made too many commitments to too many people (for next weekend) and for be to cancel on them last minute wouldn't be good."

Richards has 44 points this season, which ranks him tied for 14th in the league. Detroit's Henrik Zetterberg is the only higher-scoring player in the league who wasn't selected to participate in the game and reports are that he made it known he wouldn't go to rest some nagging injuries that he is playing through in games that matter.

So, Richards is definitely deserving - but he won't be there - now by his own choice.