Once again, the words ‘fair’ and ‘impartial’ seem to have less and less to do with the NHL. Today, the NHL levied a $3 million dollar fine on the New Jersey Devils, as well as forfeiture of their 2011 3rd round draft choice. The Devils also forfeit a 1st round draft choice in any draft over the next 4 years, but this selection is of the Devils’ choosing.
If the NHL has such a problem with these contracts, why not punish all parties involved? Where’s the fine for the Canucks? The Red Wings? The Blackhawks? Why are the Devils the only team being punished in this whole saga when there was clearly a precedent set before them?
The NHL’s justice system has had several instances of this, like the disparaging suspensions for Chris Pronger and Chris Simon over the same conduct, the St. Louis Blues tampering fine compared to the one the Maple Leafs received last year in the Sedin scenario, the Alex Ovechkin / Patrick Kaleta saga and countless other offenses are showing wild inconsistencies in the NHL laying down the law.
It seems that if your team is in the NHL’s ‘Good Old Boys’ club you can get away with a lot more than other teams. Storied franchises with stable ownership like the Leafs and Wings are allowed to bend the rules to their liking and they won’t see any tangible form of discipline because they are major contributors to the business side of the game.
Same goes for the players. If you’re a bankable star player you can get away with more than if you’re some third line scrub. This is the message the NHL is sending to its players and to its fans. If we like you, the rules don’t apply. If we don’t like you (like say, the former Phoenix Coyotes owner, or the former Predators owner, the Lightning ownership group, etc.) then we are going to make life difficult for you.
Many believe that the current Devils owner is looking to sell off the club. They moved to a horrible new location and have been declining in attendance for a long time. Kovalchuk’s signing shows no concern for the long-term health of the club and was mainly done as a sales boost and for one last run at the cup to try and turn a profit on the team. It is largely because of this that the NHL ownership group has come down hard on the Devils in this case.
The final contract that was agreed upon is no worse than Marian Hossa’s or Roberto Luongo’s, contracts that passed without batting an eye. It’s also not much better than the original offer that was rejected and subsequently fined. Essentially, 2 more years on the deal, and 2 million dollars more, cost the Devils $3 million and two draft picks. Yet other teams walk around unscathed by their cap circumventing signings.
The NHL is making an example out of Kovalchuk and the Devils, hanging them out to dry as a threat to other GMs and owners who are willing to try this, but I don’t see what’s so bad about handing out additional disciplinary action to other teams with contracts that are clear cap circumvention deals. It’s pretty much par for the course when you consider the league’s spotty history when it comes to enforcing their own rules.
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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. 
And fans wonder why the NHL is considered a joke in the sporting world. The league office makes NBA officials look impartial.
Well something had to be done to stem this silliness. I have no love for the “Wheel of Justice” either, but should we wait another two years before this is address?
Oh, I agree that something had to be done… but why not penalize all offending teams instead of making an example out of the Devils? Every team who had a contract ‘investigated’ should be fined and forfeit picks as well.
We just want a little consistency in the application of the rules