Devils Keep Their Guy
The New Jersey Devils are one of those contending teams that always seem to make a run at the cup every year. Regardless who laces up the skates for New Jersey's finest, the Devils are always talked up as one of the top teams in the league.
Next season it appears that trend will continue as the team resigned Ilya Kovalchuk, the coveted free agent, to a 17-year deal with between $100 and $150 million according to two separate reports.
It took roughly three weeks to nail the deal down as Kovalchuk was also pursued by the Los Angeles Kings, New York Islanders and SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL.
If he plays to the end of the deal, Kovalchuk will be 44.
"This was a long arduous process that has taken frankly a little longer than I thought," agent Jay Grossman told The Associated Press. "But you know what, nothing is worth anything unless you work for it. I can tell you he is very happy to be with the New Jersey Devils."
Kovalchuk rejected a 12-year, $101 million contract extension with Atlanta earlier this year, before the Thrashers traded him to New Jersey.
While the terms of the deal haven't been disclosed, these types of deals help teams fit star players under the salary cap — most of them are front-loaded with the bulk of the salary being paid out long before it expires.
The 27-year-old Russian joined the Devils on Feb. 4 in a trade with the Thrashers, the only team he had played for in his eight-year NHL career. He was drafted No. 1 overall in 2001. in the trade, the Devils sent Niclas Bergfors, Johnny Oduya, prospect Patrice Cormier and a first-round pick to Atlanta in return for Kovalchuk and Anssi Salmela.
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