Yet another crazy twist in the Ilya Kovalchuk saga, a saga which has truly taken on a life of it’s own this NHL off-season.
According to a source, TSN is reporting that the NHL might delay the deadline to accept or reject Kovalchuk’s 15-year $100 million pact. From the full article on TSN:
An amendment to the CBA and the fate of Ilya Kovalchuk’s contract are tied together, so it’s conceivable, the NHL will postpone its decision, or flat out reject the Devils latest offer until a more concise framework of what teams, players and player agents can and cannot do is agreed on.
The NHL and the NHLPA had productive discussions on Thursday regarding potential changes to the rules that govern players contracts, however, at this point, it seems unlikely the two sides will reach a settlement, complete with a vote from the PA’s 30 player board in time for todays 5pm deadline to determine the validity of Kovalchuk’s proposed contract with the New Jersey Devils.
What the NHL is trying to do here is filled with good intentions, but it is also becoming ridiculous, and fast.
Obviously the NHL has realized that they need to do something about the current language in the CBA, and do it before another team can take advantage of these front-loaded contracts.
But this situation has dragged on all off-season, and if the NHL is really that worried about these contracts then they should just reject the Kovalchuk deal outright.
Don’t mistake this for sympathy for Lou Lamoriello and the New Jersey Devils. The NHL made it clear after the first rejected contract that they wanted nothing to do with these types of deals, and the Devils pushed the envelope. I don’t blame them for trying, but if the only way Kovalchuk will join your team is by signing him to an outrageous deal then why do you even want him?
Regardless the limbo continues, and we will have more news for you by the end of the day. We just don’t know if it will contain a Kovalchuk decision.