 | New Kovalchuk deal with Devils in NHL's hands |
In what may be their last chance to keep Ilya Kovalchuk in North America this season, the Devils are waiting -- again -- for the NHL to approve their latest contract, submitted yesterday.
If, as expected, the league OKs this deal, it will end a saga that reached 59 days today, which variously had the Kings, Islanders, Stars, Blues and St. Petersburg among potential suitors.
"We are reviewing the new contract and will make a decision in the appropriate time frame as prescribed in the CBA," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said in a statement. The Post first reported this latest contract yesterday on its website.
Should the NHL approve, with five days to rule, this contract would cap a series of false starts that began with Kovalchuk's July 5 reconsideration of his first decision to return to the Devils. After a trip to Los Angeles and a full-court palm tree press, Kovalchuk signed with the Devils July 19, only to have the NHL reject the contract a night later -- hours after New Jersey's prematurely triumphant press conference.
The Players Association filed to overturn the league's rejection, but the NHL was upheld in arbitration in its claim that the contract had the effect of cir*****venting the CBA.
The ruling cited the 17-year length of the deal taking Kovalchuk nearly to age 44 and the front-loading that would pay $98.5 million over its first 11 years and a total of $3.5 million over its final six. It also noted a change from a no-movement clause to no-trade which would allow the Devils to waive and demote Kovalchuk late in the contract and avoid the $6 million cap hit in those final years.
http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/devils/new_ilya_deal_in_nhl_hands_sIrMO7roNGmNomIG8BsPrO#ixzz0xuwEbaN4
|
|
|
|
| "New Kovalchuk deal with Devils in NHL's hands" | Login/Create an Account | 0 comments |
|
| | The comments are owned by the poster. We aren't responsible for their content. |
|
|
|
No Comments Allowed for Anonymous, please register |
|
| |
|
