NHL team at fault in handling of imprisoned player?

The Los Angeles Kings terminated Mike Richards contract earlier this week. It appears an incident which occurred at the borders is the basis for this decision by the Kings' management. There is a problem in this decision though: Richards as yet to be accused of any wrongdoings. Yet, the Kings keep supporting defenseman Slava Voynov, who was sentenced to 90 days in prison for a domestic violence case. This is a big hypocrisy by L.A. noted by L.A. Times journalist Helene Elliott. Per Elliott:

The Kings terminated the contract of Mike Richards, who has not been charged after reportedly being stopped at a Canadian border town last month on suspicion of possessing a controlled substance without a prescription, yet they gave the use of their training facilities and coaches' expertise to Slava Voynov, who on Thursday pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor count of corporal injury to a spouse. There are many things wrong with this picture. Primarily, that it appears the Kings are trying to dump the long and costly contract of Richards, whose performance has declined dramatically the last two seasons, while trying to preserve the career of Voynov, a skillful 25-year-old defenseman whose absence was keenly felt last season as they missed the playoffs.

Elliott makes a very strong argument about this case which you can read here. In 2014 and earlier this year, the NFL has had several cases of domestic violence perpetrated by it's players. A lot of teams failed to answer accordingly, drawing severe criticism toward the league. Should the Kings dismiss Voynov from the team and should other teams stay away from him just like NFL teams are staying away from former NFL star Ray Rice after a similar incident? For the moment, it makes absolutely no sense for the Kings to allow Voynov to play after they terminated Richards contract, at least from a purely ethical point of view. But just like Elliott states, Voynov is a young defenseman whose best days as a hockey player are ahead of him, so from a hockey point a view, they can't afford to let him go. Will the Kings take the right decision and send a message to the players across the league? Image courtesy of Keystone Press Agency