DEAL VOIDED BY ARBITRATOR! Kovalchuk re-signs in Jersey: $102M over 17 years

Hoags wrote:
Are you saying the Isles wouldn't be better off if diPietro's contract disappeared and they spent that money on a real goalie who can actually play a full season ? (Same with Yashin's buyout).

If they were a team that spent to the limit they'd be SOL.

If things pan out the way they're praying they will, they'll be spending to the ceiling soon. Then those two contracts will hurt them pretty bad. That's the reality that they're facing for sure.

what I don't get is how Lou offered the minimum contract on years 15-17.. ya that's the minimum contract now but the league min by then will likely be 1M or so... makes sense to me that NJ can't win this case..

DirtyDave wrote:what I don't get is how Lou offered the minimum contract on years 15-17.. ya that's the minimum contract now but the league min by then will likely be 1M or so... makes sense to me that NJ can't win this case..

Is there any stipulation in the CBA about allowing for the future minimum? If not... then NJ wins.

Kovalchuk decision to come by end of next week. Arbitrator has been agreed to... so the process begins.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/2010/07/30/kovalchuk_arbitrator/

NHLSourcesSay reporting a possible arbitration ruling leak -- contract to be re-instated.

wprager wrote:NHLSourcesSay reporting a possible arbitration ruling leak -- contract to be re-instated.

This should be interesting.

Mind you, he's got a 50/50 chance of being right. Ha ha!

shabbs wrote:

wprager wrote:NHLSourcesSay reporting a possible arbitration ruling leak -- contract to be re-instated.

This should be interesting.

Mind you, he's got a 50/50 chance of being right. Ha ha!

With odds like those Ek should all over this like blue on a smurf.

Kovalchuk contract re-instated. Let's see how many years he actually plays.

wprager wrote:Kovalchuk contract re-instated. Let's see how many years he actually plays.

So it's been approved?

NHLSourcesSay basically tweeted (3 hours ago) that the rumor passed to him yesterday is true. Haven't seen it at any online source yet, though.

Can confirm from many Twitter sources, that the arbitrator has ruled in favour of the NHL. As a result, Kovalchuk is once again a free agent.

Dash wrote:Can confirm from many Twitter sources, that the arbitrator has ruled in favour of the NHL. As a result, Kovalchuk is once again a free agent.

Oh my God. This is huge.

It is 100% confirmed.

Devils will either have to re-work the contract, which would once again have to be approved, or Kovalchuk can look elsewhere.

It should actually come as no surprise that the NHL won this - they would do anything to win. They can't have anyone undermining them. Just look at the Balsillie court battle.

So if Kovy decides to look elsewhere, then you know there was something peculiar going on in NJ.

wprager wrote:NHLSourcesSay basically tweeted (3 hours ago) that the rumor passed to him yesterday is true. Haven't seen it at any online source yet, though.

That guy's got some egg on his face today.

kovalchuk to LA! BOOK IT

If the figure gets up to near 7 million a year X 15 years, it ceases to be a bargain and begins to look a little like market value - with a WHOLE bunch of term in there.

I like this, because I hate the Devils.

I always thought the real reason this was an issue was that Kovalchuk is Russian, and there was a fear of bolting to the KHL once the first 11 years were up. If this had been Mike Richards or Sidney Crosby signing this kind of deal, do you really think it would have been appealed?