The situation in LA has gotten pretty strange in recent days - and no, we're not talking about the latest Hollywood gossip (looking at you, Amanda Bynes).
The LA Kings have been forced to play with only five defensemen because $160 in cap room wasn't enough to sign a replacement player, general manager Dean Lombardi has lambasted the league over their handling of, well, everything, and Slava Voynov is still sitting at home collecting paychecks without lifting a finger, while the NHL waits on a determination from the Redondo Beach County Sheriff's Office as to whether or not he committed an act of domestic violence against his wife.
Where or when cap relief will come is very much up in the air. The team continues to play well, despite the mess.
In the meantime, questions have begun to swirl, and wild speculation has begun to mount concerning the various avenues the Kings may take to try to alleviate their financial issues.
Would they, for instance, consider trading Voynov and his $4.1 million salary?
The answer to this question, posed by Jason Lewis of Hockeybuzz.com, is dependent mainly on the determination of whom, in this whole convoluted fiasco, the LA Kings are actually upset with.
Is it Voynov and his poor decision making that got him into this mess in the first place? Do they view him as the culprit, or merely an innocent family member who got pulled into an unfortunate mess?
Is it the NHL, which has stubbornly chosen not to make a move on Voynov until his criminal case is settled? The very same league has allowed Voynov's salary to remain on the books, and has handcuffed the Kings and general manager Dean Lombardi in such a restrictive manner that they were forced to play shorthanded last Saturday against the Canucks.
Or, is it the Redondo Beach Police Department, who has yet to offer a resolution to the case?
The 24-year-old Voynov, drafted and developed by the team, is a quality young player. Moving him in a time of desperation is obviously not something the team wants to do. But should the NHL and the police offer no relief in the coming days, the idea of trading Voynov and his salary seems increasingly more palatable - and more possible.
