According to TSN, the NHL will block the unprecedented 17-year, $102 million contract that was announced yesterday between superstar free agent Ilya Kovalchuk and the New Jersey Devils.  The contract was front loaded tremendously, paying the forward $95 million over the first twelve years and only $7 million over the last five.  The contract also presumed that he would be guaranteed to play until he is 44.  The basis for the rejection is the collective bargaining agreement, which states that “teams cannot make a deal that circumvents the salary cap.”  As Craig Custance pointed out, it’s difficult to prove; who’s to say that Kovy won’t play that long?
The next step in this process is that the Devils will have five days to file a grievance or renegotiate a contract with Kovalchuk.  The NHL will likely allow for a 15-year contract, as New York Islanders goaltender Rick DiPetro’s contract serves as a precedent. This is ultimately good news for the Flyers, as it will further force their Atlantic Division rivals to shed salary.  With the original contract, the Devils are $1.8 million over the cap, but this will likely push them to around $2.6 million over.
