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Kings’ GM Lombardi: Unhappy With Cap Situation Regarding Voynov

By Catherine Silverman

Jun 3, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Kings general manager Dean Lombardi during media day before game one of the 2014 Stanley Cup Final against the New York Rangers at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 3, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Kings general manager Dean Lombardi during media day before game one of the 2014 Stanley Cup Final against the New York Rangers at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Los Angeles Kings GM Dean Lombardi: suggests a ‘bank robber’ cushion in the salary cap

The Los Angeles Kings have no nice way of putting it; the reigning Stanley Cup Champions are in cap hell.

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Already one of the teams dangerously skirting the cap ceiling at the start of the 2014-2015 NHL season, the Kings were thrown into an even worse situation with the indefinite suspension of defenseman Slava Voynov.

The suspension, which was handed to the blue liner following domestic abuse allegations, seems to have no apparent end in sight. Voynov is still being paid by the team, but there is no word as to when the suspension will be lifted — or if the league will allow the Kings some cap relief to sign a replacement player.

According to CapGeek, the team has $14,984 dollars left in cap space today; this would get them absolutely nothing, and would require a roster move to sign even the cheapest of players. League commissioner Gary Bettman wasn’t particularly sympathetic to the Kings’ plight in a statement to the media, though, stating per the O.C. Register that “Every team has to manage its salary cap, right? It’s just the way it works. … The integrity of the game requires teams to comply with the salary cap.”

Lombardi wasn’t happy with that answer, and responded with an equally severe statement:

"“As this case makes clear, we must now do one and/or two things. We must build in a cushion in case one of our players is a bank robber, kleptomaniac, etc.“The seemingly better alternative is, we have to do a better job of educating our players and, in particular, monitoring our players away from the rink. While monitoring them away from the rink may have the Orwellian connotation of `Big Brother’ oversight, that is the nature of the sports business in the cap era.”"

Oh God.

While Lombardi is clearly making a statement with his suggestion, he does bring up an interesting point. The team has honored Voynov’s suspension, but are clearly hurting without his top-four blue liner minutes and talents to offer. With no end in sight for his situation, the team might be stuck sliding down the standings with his cap hit — a reported $4.2 million — serving as dead weight on the team’s payroll.

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