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Kings release (interesting) statement on Voynov

Slava Voynov

Slava Voynov

AP

The Los Angeles Kings released a rather interesting statement regarding Slava Voynov mere moments after the player’s agent shared news that he was self-departing to Russia.

Read the full release below, but here are a few interesting points if you’d rather just get the meat-and-potatoes:


  • The Kings claim that they “decided he would longer play for the team” sometime during his “period of detention.”
  • Los Angeles says they made Sept. 17 (the start of training camp) a deadline to “reach this outcome.”
  • Voynov’s decision to self-depart took away the need for the Kings to terminate his contract, according to the release.
  • They finish up by saying “The Kings organization will not tolerate domestic violence.”

Here is the full text:

On July 2, Slava Voynov entered a plea of no contest to domestic violence. Since that development, Mr. Voynov has been in the custody of the Seal Beach Detention Center and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. During this period of detention, the Los Angeles Kings decided he would no longer play for the team. The method by which we would ensure this outcome was something we carefully considered and we established a deadline of September 17 – the beginning of our 2015-16 training camp – to reach this outcome. Recently it became evident to us that our conclusion to this process would be to terminate Mr. Voynov’s Standard Player’s Contract. However, Mr. Voynov’s announcement today of his intention to leave the United States and return to Russia makes the termination unnecessary.

As we have publicly stated since Mr. Voynov’s arrest last year, the Kings organization will not tolerate domestic violence. As part of that commitment, we will soon announce a series of new Conduct Awareness Training Initiatives that reflect the values and principles central to our franchise.

When news surfaced about Voynov’s decision, there was speculation that by self-departing, he may eventually be able to return to North America, possibly to resume an NHL career.

Is this the Kings’ way of saying that they wouldn’t employ Voynov if he returned in the future?