Los Angeles Kings follow the NHL in suspending defenseman Slava Voynov
The Los Angeles Kings suspended defenseman Slava Voynov after he suffered a non-hockey injury earlier this year, the team announced.
Voynov missed the season’s final 76 games after being suspended by the NHL following a domestic violence arrest.
The NHL suspended Voynov indefinitely on Oct. 20 after he was arrested and charged with felony domestic violence after an incident with his wife. The league fined the Kings $100,000 for violating the terms of Voynov's suspension on Dec. 2 after he was seen on the ice for practice.
According to a police report obtained by the Los Angeles Times, Voynov’s wife, Marta Varlamova, told authorities that the two got into an argument during a Halloween party on Oct. 19, at which point Voynov removed her costume glasses, stomped on them and later punched her in the left jaw.
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Voynov’s team suspension means his contract doesn’t count against salary cap for Los Angeles next season.
The Kings have about $60 million in salary allocated for the 2015-16 season with Voynov’s contract now off the books.
Voynov, 25, was injured earlier this year, tearing his right Achilles tendon in a "recreational activity.” He had surgery to repair the injury in March and was seen on crutches during a pretrial hearing in his domestic violence case. He is set to stand trial July 6.
Voynov only played in six games this season as the Kings missed the playoffs, a year after winning the Stanley Cup.
- Scooby Axson