The trial date for Los Angeles Kings defenceman Slava Voynov’s domestic violence case has been pushed back from April 21 to July 6 after Voynov appeared in a California court Wednesday for a pre-trial hearing.
The 25-year-old was arrested and charged with felony domestic violence in October after an alleged incident involving his wife, Marta Varlamova. NHL officials suspended Voynov indefinitely after charges were laid. Voynov pled not guilty in December and his trial was initially set to begin on March 2 before being pushed back to April 21.
Varlamova, who told police she didn’t believe her husband tried to hurt her, sat beside Voynov at Wednesday’s pre-trail hearing and one reason the trial has been pushed back to July is because Varlamova said she does not plan on testifying during the trial.
If convicted, Voynov could face a maximum of nine years in prison. The next pre-trial hearing is scheduled to take place May 4.
Also, Voynov was seen on crutches with his right leg wrapped in a large, white cast.
The injury will further complicate how the NHL and the Kings will deal with the situation. Since Voynov’s trial now won’t start until after the opening of free agency on July 1, it’s not clear what his salary status will be.
