Kovalchuk's Crazy Contract

BY JESSE LIEBMAN
EDITORIAL. PHOTOS BY AP NEWS

It was just around 8 p.m. Tuesday night when I received a text message from my good buddy Jeff Hancock: 


“NHL rejects Kovalchuk contract for cap circumvention. Hahahahahaha.”


Suffice it to say, I laughed with him.


I didn't laugh because I grew up on the opposite side of the Hudson during a period when my childhood Rangers became the poster child for ludicrous spending -- Valeri Kamensky, anyone? -- and it was nice to see a rival organization on the flip side of the coin for a change.


So when the NHL slammed its fist on the 17-year, $102 million covenant brokered between the New Jersey Devils organization and Ilya Kovalchuk's agent Jay Grossman, I had to laugh. Not because of some rivalry, but because I witnessed a stupid decision fall flat on its face, after it took 19 days from the start of the free agency period to get us to this point. 


Adding to the humor was the fact that Kovalchuk had tantalized Los Angeles Kings fans in a back-and-forth “We’re close” scenario after the Kings had flown the Russian sniper out to Hollywood like he was some prized NCAA running back. 


On top of that, the NHL announced the contract was a no-go...after the team had announced they had inked Kovy to the longest contract in league history.


This guy was supposed to have made his decision before Lebron decided to pack up and move to Miami. I need to get my cheap laughs somewhere.


Hell, it felt like I was watching hockey's version of The OC. Kovalchuk is Seth, and he can't decide between Summer or Anna. Oh God, did I really just do that? Never mind that. Move along, people. Nothing to see here.

They had to have known that this was going to happen, right? The Marian Hossa contract should have been a good litmus test to determine whether Lou Lamoriello and Co. knew whether they were pushing the envelope. The NHL investigated that particular contract last summer; they certainly would be mandated to give the Kovalchuk deal a second glance, lest they look like hypocrites.

I don’t think there's any doubt that these types of long-term deals are obviously structured to either tiptoe around or otherwise entirely circumvent the NHL's salary cap. When a couple of years are tacked on to the end of a front-loaded contract at a lower salary, it's clear that management is simply reducing the yearly average value of the contract so that it doesn't take the team closer to the salary cap ceiling.


Look at it this way: If Hossa played out the full duration of his contract, he'd be 42 and earning $1 million. Kovalchuk stands to play until he's 44, making $550,000 per year during the final five years.


Now while I admire Kovalchuk's alleged commitment, the Russian Chris Chelios he is not. And while I'm on the subject, Hossa isn't Mark Recchi, and Roberto Luongo isn't Johnny Bower.


Lamoriello's a smart guy; a frugal one at that. He is perhaps the one guy who can make something out of practically nothing. Coming from a guy who grew up despising the Devils organization, I say it with full admittance that Lou Lamoriello is arguably one of the best sports executives of all time. And as much as I would love to heap the brunt of the responsibility for this debacle in his lap, there are other parties involved that are just as culpable.

New Jersey Devils fans shouldn't fret that management and ownership may have screwed up on this one. The team has publicly stated that they are certain the contract is compliant with the CBA, and Lou is well-respected within NHL circles.


And while I'm at it, Kings fans, don't feel too bad. If general manager Dean Lombardi had succeeded in getting No. 17 to agree to the $100 million deal he had slid across the table, the Kings would most likely be stuck in cap hell for the next two decades, as their young players like Drew Doughty would use Kovalchuk as a benchmark for determining their salary when it comes time to renegotiate their contracts; the Los Angeles payroll would become unnecessarily bloated.

On top of that, despite being 27, Kovalchuk has only nine playoff games under his belt. While I get that he's spent the bulk of his career playing for an inadequate Atlanta Thrashers squad, that figure is still not impressive. With a young core built around Doughty, Anze Kopitar, Jack Johnson and Jonathan Bernier, the Kings are going to be a force to be reckoned with for the next decade, Kovalchuk or no.


Let's face it: by holding the press conference before the NHL had even signed off on the contract, the Devils jumped the gun. This whole fiasco isn't over...not by a long shot. 


Instead, Kovalchuk, the Devils, the NHLPA and the league will go back to the drawing board. The Kovalchuk camp and the Devils may agree on a re-submitted contract, or an arbitrator may even get involved if the NHLPA files a grievance. This time, Devils fans are hoping that something sticks.


Either way, it will be an interesting opening night at Prudential Center this fall.