The entire season has been rough for the Los Angeles Kings. It all started at the beginning of the season, when one of their key cogs Slava Voynov was suspended for a horrific domestic violence incident. That was a black cloud over the team that lasted all season. It didn’t help that they let him practice with the team despite never informing the league. Then a few weeks ago, pending free agent forward Jarret Stoll was arrested for possession of cocaine. He is one of the most famous Kings due to his relationship with media personality Erin Andrews. This all comes with the fact that despite coming into the season as the defending champions, the Kings were unable to even qualify for the playoffs.

Now, the Kings are dealing with a new situation. Mike Richards‘ contract was terminated due to a breach of his contract. The situation has some serious gray area. For one, he was put on waivers with the intent of a buyout. It seemed like Richards would get paid, but now his contract was cut completely.

Richards’ situation on the Canadian-USA border was an issue with oxycodone, a strong painkiller. This is not the situation some thought could have come out of this. There aren’t even charges being filed against Richards. In a sport like the NHL, players are going home with pain. It is not a secret that many of these players are trying to self medicate.

With all the problems the Kings have been having off the ice, one would think they would be more willing to help a player who is going through issues rather than cutting him loose, especially for a player who helped them win two Stanley Cups. It’s understood that sports is a rough business, one in which teams only care what players have done for them lately. This feels different.

This seems like it is going to get worse before it gets better as far at the Kings’ public relations goes. If they trend downward again next season, they will be all but forgotten. They already have the Chicago Blackhawks stealing their dynasty away, can they really afford to do any worse?

There are details here that will eventually come out. In today’s world of social media and anonymous sources, there is very little that doesn’t come out. The Kings have been extremely tight lipped about this situation. More than usual. They should probably start giving out some information to control how this story grows. If they are open about what happened, it is less likely this story will grow legs. If they continue to withhold information, it could blow up.

Nick Villano is the NHL feature writer for Rant Sports. He also adds to the site’s NBA, MLB and NFL content. You can follow him on Twitter or add him to your Google circle.