The Coyotes released forward Adam Ruzicka on Friday, spelling an end to a three-game tenure with the franchise after he was signed off waivers last month.
Ruzicka, 24, has nine points (three goals, six assists) in 42 games this season. A former fourth-round pick in the 2017 draft, he had spent each of his prior three seasons with the Flames, amassing 40 points in 114 games with Calgary.
The Slovakian center was expected to feature prominently in Arizona's lowly forward core throughout the remainder of the year. However, his Coyotes career came to an unceremonious end Friday after Ruzicka posted a video featuring a white, powdery substance.
Here's what you need to know.
Why did the Coyotes place Adam Ruzicka on waivers?
Ruzicka was placed on waivers on the grounds of contract termination, per TSN's Elliotte Friedman,
We will get clarity closer to waivers in an hour, but expectation is Arizona is going to waive Adam Ruzicka for the purposes of contract termination.
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) February 23, 2024
The impetus for the move seemed to be the video he posted on his Instagram story, which showed Ruzicka standing next to a table that featured a plate covered with some sort of white substance arranged in a line. Ruzicka put a small, cylindrical tube in his mouth at the end of the video.
This video is from Adam Ruzicka's story on Instagram. He is a member of the Arizona Coyotes. But it might not be for a long time. Credit to: @kamil_schreiber. pic.twitter.com/oSICPSltwz
— Andy & Rono (@ARHockeyStats) February 23, 2024
Arizona confirmed Friedman's report later in the day.
The Arizona Coyotes have placed forward Adam Ruzicka on unconditional waivers for purposes of terminating his contract. The Club will have no further comment at this time.
— Arizona Coyotes PR (@AZCoyotesPR) February 23, 2024
This story will be updated.
