The New Jersey Devils have been the center of the NHL universe this summer with contract negotiations for one of the biggest superstars in the game, Ilya Kovalchuk.
Of course, Kovalchuk has been all over the news with rumors sending him anywhere from Los Angeles to New Jersey and even to the dreaded KHL. Yet, after all the drama, the Devils were finally able to claim Kovalchuk from free agency and sign him to a front-loaded 17-year deal worth $102 million.
That deal was stricken by the NHL and forced the Devils to pay a fine of $3 million. The Devils will also lose their first-round draft pick in each of the next four NHL drafts as well as their third-round pick in this year's draft.
Now the Devils have been successful in signing Kovalchuk to a similar overall deal: 15 years worth $100 million. The contract is more evenly spread out and gives the Devils what they sought after in the end and that is that they have been able to secure the prolific scorer for the rest of his NHL career.
Is it worth it?
Alright, let's consider the fact that Kovy has amassed 30 or more goals a season every year except his rookie year in 2001. And he ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Nicholas Steblenko
Ilya Kovalchuk Has Much Left to Prove If He Will Be Worth His Price Tag
October 5th, 2010 by Nicholas Steblenko Leave a reply »
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