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New York Rangers: Stay away from Slava Voynov

By Nicholas Zararis

Russia's Vyacheslav Voinov is congratulated by teammate Vladislav Gavrikovr after scoring in the men's gold medal ice hockey match between the Olympic Athletes from Russia and Germany during the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at the Gangneung Hockey Centre in Gangneung on February 25, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV (Photo credit should read KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP/Getty Images)
Russia's Vyacheslav Voinov is congratulated by teammate Vladislav Gavrikovr after scoring in the men's gold medal ice hockey match between the Olympic Athletes from Russia and Germany during the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at the Gangneung Hockey Centre in Gangneung on February 25, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV (Photo credit should read KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP/Getty Images) /
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Russia’s Vyacheslav Voinov is congratulated by teammate Vladislav Gavrikovr after scoring in the men’s gold medal ice hockey match between the Olympic Athletes from Russia and Germany during the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at the Gangneung Hockey Centre in Gangneung on February 25, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV (Photo credit should read KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP/Getty Images)
Russia’s Vyacheslav Voinov is congratulated by teammate Vladislav Gavrikovr after scoring in the men’s gold medal ice hockey match between the Olympic Athletes from Russia and Germany during the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at the Gangneung Hockey Centre in Gangneung on February 25, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV (Photo credit should read KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP/Getty Images) /

The rumor mill is churning about a return to the states for former Los Angeles Kings defenseman Slava Voynov. As a big market team that is flush with cap space, Voynov might be attractive to the Rangers front office.

The New York Rangers are a team that prides itself on doing things the right way. One of the big components in player evaluation is character and leadership. During his interview with Larry Brooks two weeks ago, owner James Dolan said the team needed better leadership, that he felt the team this past season was lacking in that department.

Based on why Voynov went to the Russian Kontinental Hockey League, he would not be a fit with New York. The defenseman went back to his native country following a horrific domestic violence incident against his own wife. Voynov served two months in prison for the incident back in 2015. The defenseman was then turned over to immigration services and voluntary left to go back to Russia instead of being deported.

The charges were heinous, a police officer that arrived on the scene described the pools of blood in various rooms in the house. However, back in his native Russia, he was greeted with open arms. Voynov has played the last three seasons for SKA Moscow, the best team in the KHL. This past Winter Olympics, Voynov played for the Olympic Athletes of Russia, won a gold medal and was selected as the most outstanding defenseman in the tournament.

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Like any player in the KHL, the defenseman longs for the bigger pay day available in the NHL.

Does it make sense?

This is the part that will require self discipline in the Rangers front office. When he was with the Kings, Voynov was a solid NHL defenseman. For three full seasons, Voynov’s Corsi For Percentage was over 54%. This means that when he was on the ice, the Kings had 54% of the shots in the game.

That would be far and away the best of any defenseman on the Rangers. The team’s leader of its defenseman that started more than half of the games was Brady Skjei with 47.2 CF%. Being that the Rangers had the worst defense in the league in terms of possession, Voynov would be a big boost for the defense. There is also the added plus that the Russian is right handed, a rarity amongst quality defenseman.

Ultimately, the Rangers need to look beyond hockey with Voynov. There is a clear moral problem with bringing on a player who has a pattern of domestic violence.

Next: Nash's scoring demons hurting new team

Somethings are just bigger than hockey. The Rangers need to stay away from a serial domestic abuser and not welcome those types of people into their organization.

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