The Los Angeles Kings on Monday terminated Mike Richards’ contract, a day after they placed him on waivers. The team was expected to buy him out of his 12-year deal, so this was an unexpected move. However, the move might not stand up if challenged by the NHLPA.
Though there are few details about what happened that led to the termination, there is some information. ESPN’s Katie Strang says an “off-the-ice incident” spurred the move. She also reports that the Kings were engaged in trade talks to deal Richards Friday before finding out about the incident, which scuttled their plans.
TSN legal analyst Eric Macramalla shed some light on the matter and said on TSN 1200’s “The Drive” in Ottawa that Richards was involved in an issue at the border.
Involved issue at border. https://t.co/58R3zxpcqT
— Eric Macramalla (@EricOnSportsLaw) June 29, 2015
NBC’s Pierre McGuire also confirmed something happened at a border crossing.
On TSN 690 in Montreal, McGuirre said he had a “broken heart” over what happened. When host Mitch Melnick said he heard it was something that happened at a border crossing, McGuire agreed and said that was “correct.”
“I’m not going to talk about it until it’s made public. I have a pretty good idea of what is happening,” McGuire said.
Richards, 30, was a two-time All-Star during his six seasons in Philly. He was traded to the Kings in 2011 and has failed to come close to matching his production with the Flyers. The Philly Daily News’ Dan Gross reported in 2011 that the Flyers were disappointed with Richards’ partying ways. Richards learned about the trade at the time by reading about it online.
Many believe the Kings would have a hard time winning an appeal if the termination decision were contested by Richards’ team.
