With Gary Bettman’s quashing of the Ilya Kovalchuk contract yesterday, it seems that the true Devil is the NHL and its owners. The league rejected the contract on the grounds of cap circumvention, and yet players like Chris Pronger, Marian Hossa, Roberto Luongo and other less obvious examples of cap circumvention were allowed to pass through. Could there be other reasoning behind the move that’s not being disclosed here?
Both Pronger’s and Hossa’s deals were heavily scrutinized under the review board, but ultimately allowed to pass. Hossa’s in particular was very similar, as it takes him to age 42, with the final 4 years of his deal at less than $1 million per season. This lowers his cap-hit to a more friendly $5.23 million, just like the Kovalchuk deal reduced the potential cap hit to around $6 million. The final 5 years of Kovalchuk’s deal sees him earn just $550,000 per season. Pronger’s contract doesn’t tail off nearly as much, but the confusion comes as part of the new CBA’s over 35 rule. Since his new contract took effect on June 10 of this year, and Pronger turned 35 prior to that date, the contract qualifies under the rule, meaning the cap hit still counts should Pronger retire.
So why then, does the Ilya Kovalchuk deal get rejected while other teams are allowed to sign big names to similar contracts? Is it the team itself? Philadelphia and Chicago are key markets that helped boost the NHL ratings this season in their 6 game final. The Detroit Red Wings were allowed to structure similar deals for both Henrik Zetterberg and Johan Franzen. What does Bettman have against New Jersey? Perhaps it could be rumours that the owner is looking to sell the club and/or raise ticket prices to try and re-coup some of his recent losses with the new arena and waning attendance figures. Or perhaps, it seems, Mr. Bettman has a better location in mind for a superstar player like Kovalchuk.
LA is the second largest market in hockey in terms of population. NY is the first, but they have a stable fan base and ownership. The team is just starting to be competitive again, and a player like Kovalchuk could be a real boon to the area. With a major market like LA pulling in solid attendance and merchandise figures again, that could make a network like ESPN stand up and pay attention, and that could be just what Bettman is after. TV dollars. It’s widely known that the NHL has been trying to get back in with ESPN for several years now, and it seems that boosting ratings in major markets like Detroit, Pittsburgh, Chicago and Philly is one way to achieve that. Just look at the NHL’s selections for recent Winter Classics, along with the last 3 cup finals, and all signs point to major market growth.
Can the NHL really pick and choose which contracts it will accept or deny? How is this deal any more cap circumvention than Hossa’s deal? Is there an acceptable level of cap circumvention that the NHL will just ignore? If the league is still pretending to be unbiased and fair, they have to be more consistent in their application of the rules. Being subjective about contracts just reeks of collusion, tampering or manipulation. If the precedent is already there, then the NHL must uphold that precedent. There are many more reasons and factors involved here, but at the very least it seems Bettman is once again not willing to admit that he made a mistake with the latest CBA and now he is trying to cover his tracks. Like the old saying goes, the devil really is in the details, but this devil’s make-up is starting to run.
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Born and raised in Northern Ontario but currently living in Toronto, Tyler wouldn't have it any other way. Home to his two favourite sports teams, Tyler revels in the day to day sports experience that is Toronto. 
The hypocrisy of this league seems to be reinforced on an almost daily basis. Makes you wonder what exactly it is that they are thinking, other then how to make it look like ever more of a joke then the day before.
Hey anything that gets this guy out of our division is great with me. Start fitting him for a Kings jersey, Bettman commands it!
Exactly… you can do the whole ‘enough is enough’ thing and make an example out of them, but in the interest of fairness, if other deals weren’t rejected this deal is not worse enough to warrant it either.
While I’d love to see the K-Man out of the East, I agree that this has to be on the level. The comparisons with Hossa’s contract are especially apt, as no-one expects him to be able to have a career like Chelios or Howe and play into their late fourties.
If it’s a failing with the CBA and allowing these rediculous contracts, then you fix it at the next CBA meeting. You dont’ feign ignorance until such a lucrative opportunity arises and then decide “hey, we need to do something!”. It does nothing more then make league look like the sports world equivilant of a clown show, and that’s the best case scenario.
Wow bettman being hypocritical. There’s a shocker.
Oh come on now. The devils tried to get super silly with their contract demands, and the league is finally stepping in. Now if you want to get on Bettman, try the lousy officiating. That’s more hypocritical then this dog and pony show.