Slava Voynov has applied for reinstatement to the NHL, Sportsnet has confirmed.
The NHL will now conduct a “full investigation” into Voynov that will include witnesses. Commissioner Gary Bettman has the right to levy a further suspension upon Voynov following the investigation.
Voynov was arrested in Oct. 2014 after police were called to his home in Redondo Beach, Calif. Per the report, Voynov had punched, kicked and choked his wife, Marta Varlamova.
He was convicted on a misdemeanour domestic abuse charge in 2015 and was sentenced to 90 days in jail after pleading no contest to a misdemeanour charge of corporal injury to a spouse. His contract was terminated by the Kings shortly after, though the club still retains his rights. Voynov departed for Russia in Sept. 2015 after spending almost two months in jail and has been playing in the KHL for the past three seasons.
This past July, Voynov’s conviction was dismissed by a judge, making it a possibility for him to apply for reinstatement to the NHL. He remains suspended from the NHL.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported in June that Voynov has “made it clear he’d like to return to the NHL” and that “it sounds like there is quite a bit of interest” from teams.
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