Ilya Kovalchuk Retires

[FreeCandy44]

Sucks for them....

[ffemtreed]

Wow, way to stir up a boring Thursday


Didn't see this coming at all. He really screwed over the Devils by waiting until after free agency to "make the decision". While he is not saying it in public, there has to be some prior bad blood between him and devils.

[columbia]

James Mirtle ‏@mirtle 4s

If Kovalchuk had retired next year, the cap penalty would have been nearly $700,000 a year for the following 11 years.

[Beveridge]

[taz71]

Unbelievable story. NJ has to be an absolute mess after this one. 77 million left on his contract. NJ will get a cap penalty of 250k per year for 12 years and have to forfeit there 1st round pick in 2014. It presumed Kovy will go play tax free in the KHL.

[Beveridge]

This is why we have a NPR section where there is already a thread going.

[since1970]

I wish there was an upcoming Coaches Corner.

[IanMoran]

All I can ever think of when I hear Kovy

[youtube][/youtube]

[penny lane]

bad contracts are 2 way street.
If you don't have the passion to go through the grind of the NHL, fine.

jeremy who also took every extra $$ and still does in the nhl.

Jeremy Roenick ‏@Jeremy_Roenick 11m I'm so irate right now. I feel bad for Lou lamoriello. Gave a 100 million dollar contract to a player who has no care for the NHL!

[since1970]

I see Roenick is filling in til Don Cherry issues his statement

[pfim]

Yeah, I mean, I don't know the guy, but from how he played he didn't seem to have a care for the NHL before he signed the deal as well.

[columbia]

I see Roenick is filling in til Don Cherry issues his statement

I'm sure it will be discussed here:
https://twitter.com/CoachsCornerCBC" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Dickie Dunn]

New Jersey is going to score 7 goals next season.

[JS©]

The greatest trick the NJ Devil ever pulled was convincing the NHL that he didn't exist.



And like that...(poof)....he's gone.

[Pitts]

New Jersey is going to score 7 goals next season.

Maybe.

[taz71]

oops sorry didn't even think about that ... just a complete shock to me

[SolidSnake]

Someone should run up to Kovalchuk's car and do this

[youtube][/youtube]

[Idoit40fans]

Hopefully someone goes knee to knee(or throat) on him in the olympics and ends his career.

A few things:

1. Its time to stop chastising anyone who questions the commitment of European players.
2. This sucks so bad for the devils, cap ramifications, loss of draft pick, basically missed out on a full free agent year
3. This balances out this division with the west, 3 7-team divisions and 1 8 team division.
4. Jagr may be worth signing even if you assume he's going to fall apart after 50 games if he can keep the team somewhere near respectability.

[Kraftster]

Always pictured Jagr on the Devils someday in my mind. In my mind the Devs added green back to their jerseys, though.

[Idoit40fans]

Also, for anyone that listened to the Lou press conference...Larry Brooks is still on borrowed time as far as being beaten to within an inch of his life.

[SolidSnake]

@wyshynski 3m
Hey, so what will Kovalchuk make with SKA in the KHL? Hows about $20M per season? That's the speculation

[BigMcK]

The Devils took the risk and got burned. I show no sympathy for that club. It may be different if they didn't try to cheat the system so hard to sign him to that absurd length and spend.

[canaan]

Lou knew he was only going to play a couple of years and he offered the length to cut down on the AAV. There's nothing that can be said to persuade me otherwise

[scals37]

now does he continue to receive any compensation from that contract?

[Idoit40fans]

Hopefully reality splits and inthe reality for all of you who have that sentiment, Crosby retires