The Arizona Coyotes have proposed unconditional waivers to Adam Ruzicka to terminate his contract.
The move comes after Ruzicka posted a video on social media of himself with a white powder that appeared to be cocaine and a credit card on a counter. The team announced Friday that Ruzicka would be granting waivers for termination purposes and said it would have no further comment at this time.
Ruzicka is in the second season of a two-year, $1.525 million contract. He has only been with the Coyotes for about a month since they claimed him off waivers from the Calgary Flames on January 25.
The 24-year-old from Slovakia has no points in three games with Arizona after nine in 39 with Calgary. Since his debut in April 2021, he has played in 117 NHL games.
Ruzicka is the second player in the league this season to have his contract terminated, following Corey Perry at the Chicago Blackhawks after they said the veteran winger violated the team workplace policy. The NHL Players’ Association asked for and received an extension of the period in which Perry could file a complaint, and he is back playing with Edmonton.
There is precedent for the NHL to punish players for off-ice behavior like Ruzicka’s. Washington’s Evgeny Kuznetsov was suspended three games for “inappropriate conduct” in 2019, less than a month after being banned from playing for Russia for four years due to a positive test for cocaine.
Kuznetsov faced drug charges at the world championships that year after a video on social media showed him near a table with rows of white powder and U.S. dollar bills.