L.A. Kings release statement on Slava Voynov’s self-deportation

Here’s what the Kings had to say:

On July 2, Slava Voynov entered a plea of no contest to domestic violence.  Since that development, Mr. Voynov has been in the custody of the Seal Beach Detention Center and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.  During this period of detention, the Los Angeles Kings decided he would no longer play for the team. The method by which we would ensure this outcome was something we carefully considered and we established a deadline of September 17 – the beginning of our 2015-16 training camp – to reach this outcome.  Recently it became evident to us that our conclusion to this process would be to terminate Mr. Voynov’s Standard Player’s Contract.  However, Mr. Voynov’s announcement today of his intention to leave the United States and return to Russia makes the termination unnecessary.

“As we have publicly stated since Mr. Voynov’s arrest last year, the Kings organization will not tolerate domestic violence. As part of that commitment, we will soon announce a series of new Conduct Awareness Training Initiatives that reflect the values and principles central to our franchise.”