On Tuesday, NHL insider Bob McKenzie appeared on the NHL on NBC pregame show to discuss the Slava Voynov situation:
As McKenzie notes, the players’ union is on board with the indefinite suspension... for now. The PA is willing to let the process play out -- which gives time for the league and police to conduct their investigations -- but there are mechanisms within the collective bargaining agreement that also allow for Voynov to appeal his suspension if it goes longer than five games.
There’s also the issue of his status as a paid player that counts against the Kings’ cap; it’s expected that status will be addressed in the near future, though it’s unclear what direction the league will take.
On that note, Kings GM Dean Lombardi discussed Voynov’s up-in-the-air status today, in speaking with the O.C. Register:
“There’s so many things. Slava certainly has his rights. Then you have the process with the police and their investigation. Then you have the league and their investigation. Then you’ve got the issues of, OK, how long does this go? So we’re kind of in limbo until this process plays out.
“In the meantime, that obviously has ramifications. Do we recall a player? What are the implications on the cap? What’s the shortest he could be (suspended)? If he’s found not guilty, does that still mean he’s suspended? There are so many issues here right now.
“For the NHL, probably, this is kind of new turf, and it’s new turf for a lot of leagues, because the old system was, play until the criminal system does its thing. So now, what do you do with all this gray out there, particularly in a cap era where it’s not easy to recall players and deal with things. We’ll have to start dealing with it.”
Lombardi also addressed the potential of Voynov’s visa status being impacted, but didn’t offer any specifics as to whether or not it would be an issue.
