It appears as if the NHL and NHLPA will finally have an answer as to which side will emerge victorious in the grueling Ilya Kovalchuk saga.
Richard Block—who was elected to be the arbitrator in the Kovalchuk hearings—has concluded his two-day hearings and now has until Monday to render a decision.
Block has two options.
First, he can choose to allow the Kovalchuk contract which would mean the NHL would have to accept the ridiculous 17-year, $102 million deal at face value. The other option would see Block side with the NHL, which would mean the contract would be rejected on the premise that it circumvents the NHL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement.
If Block does side with the NHL, the New Jersey Devils (the team that signed Kovalchuk to the deal) would not only potentially lose the services of the talented Russian sniper, they could also face stiff fines and perhaps even be forced to give up draft picks as punishment for trying to tender what may emerge as an illegal contract.
Many NHL fans have been arguing that the NHL has already set precedent by allowing a number of contracts that seem to mirror Kovalchuk’s deal.
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Mark Ritter
Ilya Kovalchuk Arbitration Hearing Concludes…And the Winner Is?
August 5th, 2010 by Mark Ritter Leave a reply »
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