Quote:
Originally Posted by Erick Estrada
Wasn't his detainment (since it's not officially an arrest) within days of the draft? Doesn't seem like a long enough timeline to point to Richards breaching anything unless there is wording that says he has to contact the team within x amount of days.
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Macramalla doesn't think this argument would work either, and I can't really find any reason to disagree with his more qualified assessment. But it is pretty much the only argument I can think of that the Kings could make and have a hope to succeed.
Under this theory, the Kings needed to remove his cap hit. They had ongoing negotiations with two teams (Calgary, Edmonton). Richards gets caught importing a banned substance at the border. He fails to inform the team promptly. When the team does find out, it informs the Flames and Oilers. Both teams break off discussions.
In that scenario, this materially harms the Kings. Problem is, it would still be the arrest/detainment/uncertainty that creates the problem, not his alleged failure to disclose. Which puts us right back into the terms of the NHL's substance abuse program. UNLESS the Kings can demonstrate that the late disclosure could have impacted their buy out plans - i.e.: They weren't going to buy him out and instead would trade, but failure to disclose both killed the trade and pushed the team past a buy-out window. Given the Kings unconditionally waived him in time for a buyout, even that doesn't seem to fly.
So really, there has to be some kind of bomb that neither the RCMP nor the Kings have dropped yet. Absent that, and given only the information and speculation we have now, I struggle to see how the Kings win this.