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The Rock, NJ • United States • 35 Years Old • Male

HEATS ON!!!!

Posted 6:10 AM ET | Comments 0
Source: NYPOST

By MARK EVERSON

Last Updated: 5:18 AM, August 12, 2010

Posted: 4:28 AM, August 12, 2010

It's really what late Devils owner John McMullen meant when he said "You don't want 50-goal scorers. Then you have to pay them." The update is you have a huge cap hit.

It was a nice try, elegant even, and the Devils' attempt to keep Ilya Kovalchuk's cap hit manageable should have succeeded. Now that the arbitrator upheld the NHL's rejection of the contract, the extra cap space it's going to cost makes it even more likely that New Jersey will have to choose between Kovalchuk and Zach Parise in its long-term plans, and make that choice now.

It was going to be a tough go anyway, now it's that much harder. For this season, they can have both if they can get under the cap with Kovalchuk's hit. Next summer, Parise can become a restricted free agent, and that's when what they do now will really matter. Although he won't be unrestricted until July 2012, massive prior brainlock here to the contrary, there may be teams willing to sign him to an offer sheet and give up four first-round picks as compensation, an offer sheet that the Devils may not have cap space to match.

They have one insurance policy against restricted free agency, the option of club-elected salary arbitration for the 2011-12 season. Their request would precede (June 15) and preclude restricted free agency, and while the Devils would still face the major cap issues, those would be straightforward, and not hinging on other teams. After that, when Parise would hit unrestricted free agency, the league is likely to suffer its third lockout and all bets would be off anyway.

That's why a Parise contract extension now is vital if they intend to keep him, which Lou Lamoriello insists is the case.

It is boggling that a collective bargaining agreement would be interpreted in favor of the vagaries of the deal, rather than the specifics the sides negotiated. There was no stipulation on contract length, only on a mechanism that would permit salary cuts on long-term deals and averaging of salary for cap-hit purposes, encouraging the contract the Devils and Kovalchuk worked out.

It's dead now, and the Devils will be lucky if they can re-arrange a deal that socks them with an $8 million annual cap hit for Kovalchuk. For 2011-12, they'd already be at $50 million, and a conservative arbitration guess on Parise at $7 million would leave only $2 million in current space for 7-9 players, including next July's unrestricteds Jason Arnott (currently $4.5 million), Jamie Langenbrunner ($2.8 million), Andy Greene (738G) and Johan Hedberg ($1.5 million) or a backup goalie.

Another concern would be the $21 million in space allotted to three left wings, Patrik Elias, Kovalchuk and Parise, fully 35 percent of the current cap figure. That's a heavy list to port, and the third-liner simply wouldn't receive enough ice to justify such a share. Elias' still-record Devils deal ends after 2012-13, but still counts $6 million against the cap until then.

The league may have made the Devils' plan to keep both Kovalchuk and Parise impossible. Creativity hasn't worked, no fault of theirs. But now reality hits
Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/s...v9hoRRlvnFM#ixzz0wNvHhIqu
Filed Under:   KOVALCHUCK   NEW JERSEY DEVILS  
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Blog Archive

10 On Kovi free agency
11 KOVI IN LA
12 KOVI SAGA GOES ON
12 IS KOVI USING THE DEVILS TO UP HIS PURSE????
12 WOW The Devils Make A Great Move!!!!
12 John MacLean is hands on as Devils open prospects camp
12 Is Ilya Kovalchuk moving closer to signing with Los Angeles?
13 Has Kovalchuck lost his footing with New Jersey Devils Fans?
13 Elias understands Kovalchuk's dilemma
14 Elias excited for what future holds
15 Lots of talk but nothing to announce yet on Kovalchuk
15 Kovalchuk Looking Less and Less Likely for New Jersey Devils
15 Kovalchuk desperately wants to be the highest paid Russian!!
15 Devils don't offer veteran center Eric Chouinard a contract
15 Anton Volchenkov: Devils were my second choice
15 MacLean meets the A-Train
16 Are Ilya Kovalchuk's salary demands tied to Alex Ovechkin?
16 Newly-signed Tyler Eckford wants to play his way into a job
16 Devils' World Won't End if Kovy Bypasses Newark
18 Kings believed they had a 50-50 chance of signing Kovinuts
19 Brian Rolston knows that changes are coming for Devils
19 Devils' signing of Ilya Kovalchuk puts a smile on John Mac!!
19 Dainius Zubrus: signing Ilya Kovalchuk was to shake up the Devils
19 What might happen next?????
20 Who Will Go???
20 Which Contracts Will Lou Dump Now?
20 Left winger Ilya Kovalchuk, there is significance to #17
21 Once Kovalchuk's deal is settled, attention to Zach!!!
21 NHL doesn't believe Ilya Kovalchuk will stay untill Age 44
21 contracts similar to Ilya Kovalchuk's deal with Devils
21 NHL Players' Assocation issues statement On Kovi
21 Lamoriello statement on Kovalchuk signing
21 ’t win Ilya Kovalchuk contract showdown
22 It's in hands of Ilya Kovalchuk and union
22 NHL might have picked wrong fight
22 LA Kings Dean Lombardi backs up Kovalchuck Contract
24 NHLPA to file grievance
25 The Kovi Saga
25 NHL prosecution merely a temper tantrum
26 Devils wait for players' union to file grievance
26 contract could trigger a war between Devils and NHL
27 Decision on Kovalchuk is expected nexty week
28 Kovalchuk contract could be restructured by arbitrator
28 Yann Danis Going to KHL
28 Mark Fraser Signed....
29 Newly-signed Mark Fraser vows to be 'mean, physical Player
30 Arbitrator has been agreed upon
30 Kovalchuck Hearing?????
31 Arbitrator - Richard Bloch a NEw Jersey Native
31 Association agree on arbitrator to rule on Ilya Kovalchuk
03 Kovalchuk will attend contract hearing
03 Devils will wear retro jerseys March 18 vs. Washington
04 D day for Kovi and the Devils
05 Roller Hockey at the Jersey Shore
06 Jim Dowd Shore High School Hockey Game set for Sunday
06 Is this is a set-up between Lou and Gary???
09 The arbitration decision coming today
11 Translated article from soviet sports kovalchuck
11 Devils name Rick Kowalsky head coach at Albany
12 HEATS ON!!!!
12 Where do the Devils stand in the market???
16 Today might be the day
16 90 million over 10-13 for kovi?
16 Russian News Paper Reports Devs and Kovi....
17 Contract submitted???
18 Another Quiet day in the Kovi Front
19 Devils still waiting to see what happens with Kovy
19 “Status Quo” On Ilya Kovalchuk And Devils
20 Devils After Marc-Andre Bergeron???
20 Kovi wants nothing to do with the KHL
20 Elias on the Move???
21 ELIAS TO THE ATLANTA TRASHERS????
21 Questions Surround Devils in Wake of Kovalchuck saga
22 Brian Burke Testified Against Ilya Kovalchuk Contract???
22 Devils Bringing Hockey Back To Atlantic City
23 Patrik Elias could be moved to sign fellow winger Zach Paris
23 Today could be the Day!!!
23 News 1130 out of Vancouver Reports on Kovi
23 Possible contract for Kovalchuck
23 Devils add more youth to the roster
23 EJHradek_ESPN Reports NJ Devils meet with the NHL
24 News 12 New Jersey Reports on Kovi Contract...
24 Bryce Salvador to Stars...
25 NHL 2 Devils 0.....
25 Lamoriello not frustrated by Kovalchuk process
25 Commish denies report of deal rejection
26 – NYPOST.com
26 Looks Like KHL is out of the question
27 Could this be finalyy over???
30 Devils could part with Zajac if Kovalchuk stays
30 ’ contract, but Kovalchuk retires
31 ’s official decision on Kovalchuk’s TODAY!!!!!
31 Niemi a Devil?????