Ilya Kovalchuk decision to come Monday
Ilya Kovalchuk, the New Jersey Devils, and the National Hockey League entered their second day of being locked in a room with a judge. The hope is that the judge will end this Kovalchuk-to-the-Devils matter once and for all.
The Devil signed Kovalchuk to a 17-year-deal worth $102 million. The contract has been front loaded like so many NHL contracts over the past two seasons. The Devils and Kovalchuk worked the contract so that the sniper makes $6 million in the first two years, and then $11.5 million over the next five years. After the seventh season the contact numbers begin to fall, as he goes to a $10.5 million, then $8.5 million and finally down to $550,000 in the final five season of the contact.
The NHL is arguing that this circumvents the salary cap, and therefore the NHL collective bargaining agreement. NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly believes that the contract manipulates the salary cap. The final years of the contract are so low paying that the Devils will be able to have free reign of free agents, while still having Kovalchuk on their roster.
The Devils are arguing that they are simply following a trend in the league, and have done nothing out of the ordinary. The front-loaded contract follows the trend set by the Detroit Red Wings, and the Chicago Blackhawks, with the Marian Hossa 13 year deal, and the Johan Franzen 11 year contract.
The judge is set to make his decision on Monday. He was originally scheduled to rule before Friday, but has elected to forego until the beginning of next week.
The belief is that the NHL has had enough of long-term front-loaded contacts and is making the Kovalchuk contract an example in the hopes to stop it in the future.
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