A second attempt by the New Jersey Devils to sign free agent Ilya Kovalchuk has reportedly been turned down by the NHL.
According to the New York Post (which to me means it may or may not be right, we just don’t know!!), the Devils and Kovalchuk presented the framework for a new deal on Monday but the league would not allow it. NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly admitted that he met with representatives of the Devils and Kovalchuk on Monday, he said “there was no new contract submitted,” but that the sides “talked conceptually.”
“I think the guideposts are already out there,” Daly told Yahoo! Sports. “I think the clubs and the players and the agents all understand what our response has been to certain types of contracts. And I think every contract is different.”
Earlier this month, the two sides agreed on a 17-year, $102 million deal that was rejected by the NHL on claims it circumvented the salary cap. The NHLPA filed a grievance but the league’s decision was upheld by an arbitrator. This deal that was being discusses on Monday was rumored to be a 13 year deal for $80 million dollars but no details of structure were leaked.
So it appears the Devils are back to square 1 again and personally, I wish we would just let Illya go to Russia already. Speaking of Russia, the KHL season starts on September 8th, amd reports indicate Kovalchuk’s return to Russia could become a stronger factor in the sniper’s decision on where to play this upcoming season.
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