Los Angeles Kings: Slava Voynov will not be a King again

The Los Angeles Kings rightfully took the moral route and will not allow Slava Voynov, who was suspended for domestic violence, to skate with the team again.

On Thursday, the Los Angeles Kings ended any speculation that defenseman Slava Voynov would ever skate with the team again.

In a simple statement the Kings said this:

"“From our perspective, the player will not be playing for the Kings. We will now determine the impact of the arbitrator’s decision on our rights to the player and consider our options going forward.”"

The once promising career and one of the Kings’ best prospects reduced to one line in a one-paragraph statement.

Voynov had been appealing a ruling his year-long suspension by the NHL for the 2019-20 season. An arbitrator ruled Thursday that the NHL could suspend for the year but based on his four-plus year absence from the league, he had time served. The arbitrator amended the suspension reducing it to 41 games, meaning Voynov could return mid-season.

Despite terminating his contract the Kings will likely retain his rights meaning they can find a trade partner if another NHL team is willing to risk the PR nightmare that would come from his acquisition.

It was five years ago in October when Voynov was arrested for a domestic violence incident at his home. The police record detailed that Voynov bloodied his now wife Marta Varlamova after an argument that began at a Halloween party.

Varlamova, while being treated at a local hospital, intimated it had not been the first incident.

Voynov was arrested and plead no contest to misdemeanor charges, which led to his exile back to Russia after being deported.

Voynov maintained his fitness and skill playing in the Russian professional league, once his charges were expunged after performing community service and mandatory counseling a return to NHL was his goal.

With the Kings statement, Voynov could return to the NHL but it won’t be with them. The Kings decision might be a hard one but it is certainly the right one.

The Kings are in need of lots of help after a disastrous 2018-19 season, bringing back a top-four defenseman who twice helped the team win a Stanley Cup would have been tempting.

By choosing to distance themselves from Voynov, the Kings have taken a stand against doing what is easy and convenient and instead have made the hard decisions. They have decided upgrading a bad defense is not worth being associated with a morally repugnant person.

What comes next depends on whether the other 30 teams take the same stance as the Los Angeles Kings or if they choose talent over what’s right.