Kovalchuk Retired Effective Immediately?

[Devilsfan118]

We're absolutely better off if that article about his sister is remotely true.

 

Guy's a quitter, he doesn't want to lead a team.  We're better off without him.

I'm hoping he never sees NHL action again.

[DevsMan84]

Lou probably doesn't love it that getting out (nor would Vanderbeek), especially since Lou took the high road when asked about how he felt about Kovy leaving, but if anything, probably makes losing him a little easier.  Also, in fairness, it's not like Kovy went directly to the press himself, though who knows (or really cares) if his sister was doing his talking for him.  All this being said, no matter what losing a Kovy-type does to your franchise, I can't think of anything more destructive than having a star player who 100% doesn't want to play for your team.

 

Exactly.  I would be extremely angry if Kovy was coasting through the season and taking up almost $7 million in cap space as well as even more in actual salary at the same time.  If a player doesn't want to play for his team he can turn into a cancer real quick and best way is to cut the cancer out.

[MantaRay]

It's official:  Kovalchuk has officially signed with KHL  St. Petersburg.

 

 

[GoArmySports]

Kovy's new contract in Russia is only four years in length. He'll be 35 and the Devils will lose his rights so he can fly back to the NHL as a UFA.

[DevsMan84]

Kovy's new contract in Russia is only four years in length. He'll be 35 and the Devils will lose his rights so he can fly back to the NHL as a UFA.

 

By then he will be at least mostly over the hill and not worth a $6.7 million cap hit.

 

I will worry about this in 4 years.  At this point he can have his money and sh!tty fame.

[gardenstatepkwy]

Kovy's new contract in Russia is only four years in length. He'll be 35 and the Devils will lose his rights so he can fly back to the NHL as a UFA.

 

Will he still need all GM approval before NHL reinstatement?

[Triumph]

By then he will be at least mostly over the hill and not worth a $6.7 million cap hit.

 

I will worry about this in 4 years.  At this point he can have his money and sh!tty fame.

 

He won't have his old contract.

[DevsMan84]

He won't have his old contract.

 

That's what I meant.  If he did have his old contract it would be a $6.7 mil cap hit.  I don't want that when he is 35 and has slowed down quite a bit.

 

The next time I will put any deep thought into Kovalchuk as a player is when he decides to come back to the NHL when he is done with his 4-year KHL contract.  I will cross that bridge when he gets there but I doubt he will be nearly as good as he has been for the past 10 years.

[GoArmySports]

Will he still need all GM approval before NHL reinstatement?

 

 

I think he only needs complete GM approval before he becomes a UFA.

[Chimaira_Devil_#9]

 

Ilya Kovalchuk didn’t make a lot of friends in the hockey world when he announced his early retirement from the game on Thursday afternoon, but this may not be the last we see of the forward in the NHL.

 

Although he is leaving behind millions – 77 to be exact — to return home to Russia to play in the KHL, Kovalchuk’s sister, Ariana, reportedly said that the 30-year-old star wants to return to America after three years.

“Naturally, he plans to return to America and perform in the NHL. But the next three years he will play in Russia,” Ariana Kovalchuk said in an interview in Russia.

 

Logistically, that may not be possible as Kovalchuk will need to get permission to return to the NHL from his former team, the New Jersey Devils, if he seeks a comeback within the next four years. However, once he turns 35, the possibility of a return becomes much more plausible.

 

Kovalchuk will be removed from the “voluntary retired list” upon reaching his 35th birthday on April 15, 2018, and thereby would become an unrestricted free agent if the winger were to pursue a return to the NHL for the 2018-19 season, according to the New York Post.

 

 

http://nesn.com/2013/07/report-ilya-kovalchuks-sister-says-forward-wants-to-return-to-nhl-in-three-years/

 

I have no time for this guy whatsoever. Or his sister, or his mother , who is equaly as vocal.  

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

http://nesn.com/2013/07/report-ilya-kovalchuks-sister-says-forward-wants-to-return-to-nhl-in-three-years/

 

I have no time for this guy whatsoever. Or his sister, or his mother , who is equaly as vocal.  

 

Agree, you got what you wanted Kovy, you're no longer shackled to the NJ Devils, and you're playing in Russia.  How about you and your relatives lay low for a while?   

[GoArmySports]

The KHL is absolutely crazy.

 

 

"Doctors were helpless. The hockey player was clearly dead, but that didn’t register with Nikolai, the Chekhov KHL team’s owner."

 

 

"Nikolai has a reputation for bringing a loaded gun into his team’s dressing room after a bad loss."

 

"Gun-slinging owners, mandatory overnights in remote team bases, sometimes before home games, and even planting illegal drugs on high-priced players whose team owners want to stop paying is all part of life in the wild KHL, a hockey league that, high-profile warts notwithstanding, has quickly established itself as the second-best in the world outside the NHL."

 

http://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/2012/01/06/khl_gunslinging_owners_drugs_dodgy_air_travel_all_part_of_the_game.html?cta=bottom&utm_expid=6682428-0.pmAbpHPsSSS1W5v3cyeVhw.2&utm_campaign=Argyle%2BSocial-2013-07&utm_medium=Argyle%2BSocial&utm_source=twitter&utm_term=2013-07-15-10-08-22

[MadDog2020]

Planting illegal drugs on high-priced players so owners don't have to pay anymore, eh? Lol, watch your back Kovy.

[SterioDesign]

i always heard that money in the KHL was really sketchy and i mean honestly how can they spend that much money ? Heard about GM going in lockers room with guns and all kind of sh!t. Of course you always take it with a grain of salt.

 

But my roomate told me last night that he worked with a guy who played in the KHL 2 years ago but lost his job during the lockout cause of all the NHL players who went there and could never get his spot back after that for a reason or another... but anyway here's what he told my roomie.

 

Sometimes they'd be weeks without getting paid and then at some point they come back in the locker room between the 2nd and the 3rd and there would be an insane amount of money CASH on the table for the boys and they would be told "well here's your money boys now go win the game" and sometime they'd come back after the 3rd and the Mafia would have took all the money. lol it sounds fvcking ridiculous i know but i've read similar stories about the KHL with players having to hide rolled money in their socks and stuff like that.

 

Malkin was really freaked out after his KHL time too.. here's an article

 

http://triblive.com/mobile/4347351-96/malkin-pittsburgh-contract

 

 

edit: well with what GoArmySports just posted while i was typing this is simply confirming some of that stuff haha

Edited July 15, 2013 by SterioDesign

[Devilsfan118]

I doubt Kovalchuk sees any of that crap though.

 

It's the fringe players that are probably at the most risk.

[Triumph]

It's not the fringe players, it's the players playing on the fringe teams.  Kovalchuk plays for the richest team so he won't see any of that.

[RowdyFan42]

http://nesn.com/2013/07/report-ilya-kovalchuks-sister-says-forward-wants-to-return-to-nhl-in-three-years/

 

I have no time for this guy whatsoever. Or his sister, or his mother , who is equaly as vocal.  

 

I find the Kovalchuk women's honesty refreshing.  We could use more of that in sports rather than the usual, overtired cliches.

[CarpathianForest]

Has anyone checked in on Otty Ott Sauce? He has absolutely nothing to write now. He is the biggest victim of this whole affair.

[Daniel]

The more you read, the more Kovalchuk comes off looking like a total snake.  The guy is complaining that the Devils weren't competitive, but in the meantime, part of the reason for that was the huge commitment he insisted on.  Worst of all, he's obviously planning his return when he'll be a UFA, leaving the Devils further in a lurch. 

 

No the Devils aren't blameless in this whole thing.  And who knows, maybe there was some sort of understanding at the outset that there could be a mutually beneficial separation at a time when both parties could wash their hands of this without much pain for either side -- the Devils getting out of the financial committment without an enormous cap hit, in exchange for not putting up a fight for Kovalchuk to play in the KHL.  

 

I get it, it's a business.  But there is the idea of doing right by your employer if it doesn't cost you that much.  He could have gotten just as much money to play for one less year n the KHL, at which time he could have come back to either play for the Devils, or give the Devils an opportunity to get something in return in a trade.   

 

In the end though, I really hope the stat nerds here are correct that the Devils are still a playoff team without him.  A championship, which is possible for any team when the playoffs start, would be the best revenge of all.  If Schneider is as good as he's supposed to be, and it's all about puck possession, corsi, etc., a Cup is a distinct possiblity if everything goes right.

Edited July 15, 2013 by Daniel

[gardenstatepkwy]

Winning a cup without Kovalchuk would be the ultimate revenge.  It would be immense pleasure to me to see the gang hoist the trophy while sh!tbrick is over in Russia.

[Beezer34]

So is anyone still mad at Kovy? I've forgiven him. I'll miss him dearly. I think only if he stayed for a year or two more can we play the card of "we got the best of his poor contract and then he left". He still did and does have a lot left in his tank, and was one of the best conditioned players in the NHL. My biggest gripe is how he did it. I wish he announced his retirement a year in advance, like instead of surprising everyone with that dagger, I wish he would have said he was leaving next year. Or even, when the reports came when the lockouts ended that he wanted to stay; they were clearly true, why deny them? He should have said he was returning for this half season, then dipping.

Anyway, like I said, I'm not that mad at him, and this actually puts some moves into perspective, like Parise and Clarkson.

 

Not mad at Kovy, nor was I ever.. really. What I was (and still am a little, to a lesser degree) was sad and disappointed. I was sad Ilya was not honoring his commitment that he agreed on. What I HOPE going forward, is that this whole fiasco will deter GM’s\Owners from wanting to lock-up players for 10+ years. When Kovy signed the 17 year contract to stay in NJ, he was 26 years old. It’s difficult enough for anyone to make that kind of decision to play anywhere, let alone a 26 year old kid. Granted at 26 you are an adult, and obviously capable of making long-term decisions. But I gotta believe this may’ve been a whole lot simpler, if we’re talking about a 6 year deal, instead of a lifetime contract. Imagine how much easier this may have been for Lou (or any GM for that matter) to try and talk Kovy into staying, if there’d have been 2 more years remaining on his contract.. as opposed to 11. Don’t get me wrong, this sucks bigtime! However, as much as I may want to get angry at Kovalchuk, I can’t kill a guy for having a change of heart. --and who the hell knows.. he may one day very well return to this organization.

 

EDIT: This is a little OT, but whatever. imo, if you have a Kovalchuk jersey, wear it! If you don't want to, that's certainly your right. But if you spent hard earned money on a jersey of a player you thought would spend his whole career here, and you're on the fence.. wear it! When stuff like this happens, it is completely unfair to the fan. (unless they have that type of disposable income to just go buy another jersey) But to a kid that may have saved up for a Kovy jersey.. or got it as a birthday\christmas present, and still may wants wear it to games.. they should be able to wear it without being heckled by drunken a$$hole fans. The Devils\Kovy saga may not have ended well, but for 4 seasons there were happy moments.

Edited July 15, 2013 by Beezer34

[Triumph]

The more you read, the more Kovalchuk comes off looking like a total snake.  The guy is complaining that the Devils weren't competitive, but in the meantime, part of the reason for that was the huge commitment he insisted on.  Worst of all, he's obviously planning his return when he'll be a UFA, leaving the Devils further in a lurch. 

 

No the Devils aren't blameless in this whole thing.  And who knows, maybe there was some sort of understanding at the outset that there could be a mutually beneficial separation at a time when both parties could wash their hands of this without much pain for either side -- the Devils getting out of the financial committment without an enormous cap hit, in exchange for not putting up a fight for Kovalchuk to play in the KHL.  

 

I get it, it's a business.  But there is the idea of doing right by your employer if it doesn't cost you that much.  He could have gotten just as much money to play for one less year n the KHL, at which time he could have come back to either play for the Devils, or give the Devils an opportunity to get something in return in a trade.   

 

In the end though, I really hope the stat nerds here are correct that the Devils are still a playoff team without him.  A championship, which is possible for any team when the playoffs start, would be the best revenge of all.  If Schneider is as good as he's supposed to be, and it's all about puck possession, corsi, etc., a Cup is a distinct possiblity if everything goes right.

 

The Devils wouldn't've gotten anything in a trade for Kovalchuk.  He's got a giant contract that has all sorts of cap recapture issues.  Mid-market and floor teams wouldn't want it because of the salary, and big-money teams wouldn't want it because of the onerous cap recapture.  Basically if you traded it the best you could do is getting another rotten contract.

 

Let him come back when he's 35, how good do you really think he's going to be at that point?  He already is at best a break even player 5 on 5.

[Daniel]

Not mad at Kovy, nor was I ever.. really. What I was (and still am a little, to a lesser degree) was sad and disappointed. I was sad Ilya was not honoring his commitment that he agreed on. What I HOPE going forward, is that this whole fiasco will deter GM’s\Owners from wanting to lock-up players for 10+ years. When Kovy signed the 17 year contract to stay in NJ, he was 26 years old. It’s difficult enough for anyone to make that kind of decision to play anywhere, let alone a 26 year old kid. Granted at 26 you are an adult, and obviously capable of making long-term decisions. But I gotta believe this may’ve been a whole lot simpler, if we’re talking about a 6 year deal, instead of a lifetime contract. Imagine how much easier this may have been for Lou (or any GM for that matter) to try and talk Kovy into staying, if there’d have been 2 more years remaining on his contract.. as opposed to 11. Don’t get me wrong, this sucks bigtime! However, as much as I may want to get angry at Kovalchuk, I can’t kill a guy for having a change of heart. --and who the hell knows.. he may one day very well return to this organization.

 

EDIT: This is a little OT, but whatever. imo, if you have a Kovalchuk jersey, wear it! If you don't want to, that's certainly your right. But if you spent hard earned money on a jersey of a player you thought would spend his whole career here, and you're on the fence.. wear it! When stuff like this happens, it is completely unfair to the fan. (unless they have that type of disposable income to just go buy another jersey) But to a kid that may have saved up for a Kovy jersey.. or got it as a birthday\christmas present, and still may wants wear it to games.. they should be able to wear it without being heckled by drunken a$$hole fans. The Devils\Kovy saga may not have ended well, but for 4 seasons there were happy moments.

 

Re the jerseys, I'm pretty sure they can change the name without much of a problem, although you're apparently stuck with the number.  I'm waiting to see when a quality player ends up taking 9 to switch out Parise. 

[Daniel]

The Devils wouldn't've gotten anything in a trade for Kovalchuk.  He's got a giant contract that has all sorts of cap recapture issues.  Mid-market and floor teams wouldn't want it because of the salary, and big-money teams wouldn't want it because of the onerous cap recapture.  Basically if you traded it the best you could do is getting another rotten contract.

 

Let him come back when he's 35, how good do you really think he's going to be at that point?  He already is at best a break even player 5 on 5.

 

I meant in a trade when he would come back.  If a fossilized Jagr can get you a first round pick and then some, Kovy at 34, when he doesn't have the wear and tear on him, should get you something decent.  It wouldn't be a kings ransom of the Lindros variety, but, barring some career ending injury, he ought to get you something.

 

ADDENDUM:  There will always be plenty of GMs that will go on the name and reputation alone.  I would venture a guess many more do that, than "break even player on 5 on 5".

Edited July 15, 2013 by Daniel

[Triumph]

I meant in a trade when he would come back.  If a fossilized Jagr can get you a first round pick and then some, Kovy at 34, when he doesn't have the wear and tear on him, should get you something decent.  It wouldn't be a kings ransom of the Lindros variety, but, barring some career ending injury, he ought to get you something.

 

ADDENDUM:  There will always be plenty of GMs that will go on the name and reputation alone.  I would venture a guess many more do that, than "break even player on 5 on 5".

 

Jagr, again, had marvelous results and it was a conditional 1st round pick.  

 

Plenty of NHL GMs stayed away from Kovalchuk in 2010 and that was before he was thought to be a threat to run to Russia.  I'm really not sure how a team justifies trading anything of significance for the right to sign Ilya Kovalchuk in 2018-19 when he's been out of the NHL for several years.