Kings may be punished for Mike Richards termination

mike richards la kings punished

The hockey world was shocked when the Los Angeles Kings terminated  Mike Richards' contract a month ago. According to TSN, Richards awaits to see if the Royal Canadian Mounted Police press charges against him.

On June 30, the Winnipeg Sun broke the news that Richards is “under investigation for alleged possession of a restricted substance while attempting to cross the Canada-USA border." Richards' contract was terminated by the LA Kings around the same time. The NHLPA and Richards have until August 29 to file a grievance. Whether or not charges are pressed by the police is crucial in Richards' case against the Kings.

Richards is currently an unrestricted free agent. The Kings got rid of the $22M remaining on his 12-year contract worth $69M, which he signed with the Philadelphia Flyers back in 2007. If Richards files a grievance and wins his case, the Kings would have to pay cap penalties that could be as high as $4.21M per season until 2025.

Kings general manager Dean Lombardi has not explained why he terminated Richards' contract. Lombardi terminated Richards, who has not been charged with a crime, and didn't terminate defenseman Slava Voynov, who is currently serving a 90-day sentence in jail for domestic violence. The LA Kings would have much explaining to do in front of an arbitrator.