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Report: Richards part of police investigation

Toronto Maple Leafs v Los Angeles Kings

Mike Richards

NHLI via Getty Images

More details are coming to light in the Mike Richards situation.

One day after his contract was terminated by the Kings, ESPN reported Richards is part of an “ongoing investigation” by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

More:

A spokesperson for the RCMP in Manitoba told ESPN that, as of Tuesday, no charges have been brought against Richards but declined to comment further.

The source said that Canadian Border Services is also involved in the investigation, but a spokesperson declined comment, citing Canadian privacy laws.

It’s the latest in what’s been a whirlwind 24 hours.

Yesterday, the Kings dumped Richards’ contract on the grounds of a “material breach.” Shortly thereafter, reports surfaced of an alleged incident involving Richards trying to cross the border from the U.S. into Canada.

Later, the NHLPA released a statement confirming a review the situation, while still determining what course of action it would take.

Before all that happened, of course, Los Angeles was in talks with the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames in an attempt to move Richards’ contract -- but once Kings GM Dean Lombardi became aware of the situation, he suspended those talks.

“He came right over to me,” Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli told ESPN. “He pulled me aside and said, ‘Hey, Pete, this is going to come out. I had no idea. This is important you know so that talks [don’t go any] further.’”

Flames GM Brad Treliving confirmed that he had a similar conversation with Lombardi.

Terminating Richards’ contract comes with more overall cap relief than a buyout, but as previously reported, it appears that it doesn’t completely rid Richards from their books. It’s believed that the Kings will be charged with a cap recapture penalty of $1.32 million annually for the next five seasons.

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