per the Mike Richards situation…for those who need/want the info
The Kings terminated his contract in 2015 after Richards was arrested crossing the Canada/US border for possession of oxycodone, a controlled substance, without a prescription.
It was announced that the club had terminated Richards' contract, which had five years remaining, for "a material breach of his Standard Player's Contract." A grievance was filed by the NHLPA on behalf of Richards to contest the termination, to which the Kings announced a settlement with Richards, thus making him a free agent.
The Kings agreed to or were slapped with 5 years of recapture penalties and 17 years of termination fees.
I don’t think Richards was ever in the NHL Player Assistance program… which makes his case different from that of Nichushkin