He was sentenced to 90 days in jail and was picked up by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on September 4, which was planning to decide whether Voynov could continue working in the United States or face deportation. “I sincerely apologize to those in and around the game of hockey who have been affected by my situation and I also wish the players of the LA Kings success in the future”, Voynov said in a statement released through his agent, Roland Hedges, via Rich Hammond of the Orange County Register. Doughty recently indicated to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.ca that the Kings made it clear to him in his exit interview with team brass that they want to drop his minutes from the 28 per night he was averaging last season to around 25 minutes. In the short term, Voynov would likely draw major interest from teams in the KHL, Russia’s top league. He is later accused of a felony and ordered to stand trial on charges of punching, kicking and choking his wife, Marta Varlamova.
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The National Hockey League suspended Voynov indefinitely with pay later that morning.
Fox Sports reports the Kings were planning to terminate his final four years on his contract, although with his decision to leave the team that is no longer required to remove him from the roster. The club’s general manager, Sergei Gomolyako, said he would have no problem welcoming Voynov back despite the arrest. Like anything else, we’re going to get better from this, as an organization.
A second-round pick in 2008, Voynov was suspended for all but six games of the 2014-15 season while under investigation.
According to court testimony, Varlamova told police and hospital employees that Voynov struck her. Through their lawyers, Voynov and Varlamova later described the incident as an accident.
Now, the Kings have cut all ties with three players who were arrested in the last 11 months, including Voynov and forwards Jarret Stoll and Mike Richards.
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Prior to being charged, the National Hockey League Players’ Association filed a grievance on Richards’ behalf on August 10, contesting the termination of his contract. Stoll, who subsequently signed with the New York Rangers as a free agent, pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors and avoided jail time.
