If he was 3-4 years into that ludicrous deal he got, and was still performing like a 40-50 point centre, you know that the Sabres would think about it.
I don't approve of what the Kings did at all; you had a dude who beat his girl and a dude who loved himself some cocaine, and they did nothing. You have a player with a painkiller problem because of the way he burnt his body getting you two cups; and you terminate him because you need the cap space.
I would have really loved if the PA stepped in there on a much more significant level, and the NHL froze the Kings cap space for the time being until this matter is resolved.
I think you fail to understand how contracts work, you can't just void them all willy nilly. There has to be something in the contract to allow a team to void the contract.
As deplorable as the situation with Voynov looks, it likely doesn't violate the terms of a SPC.
Stoll was caught with drugs after the season, when he was becoming a free agent, what did you expect them to do? Why risk legal proceeding when you can just let him walk in a month or so?
Richards was caught with oxy and didn't claim it when he tried to cross the border. While I am speculating here, I don't think the problem with Richards was that he did something illegal, I am willing to bet the reason he is in trouble with the Kings was that he had prescriptions from someone other than a team doctor, a doctor they did not know he was seeing. Players are required by their SPC to divulge all injuries to their team if it happens on or off the ice and if the Kings had no idea he was seeing another doctor for pain killers it is in direct violation of his contract.