Devil Dan 56 Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 Or there's the simplest explanation that Bettman/NHL are completely full of sh*t, and there is absolutely no MEANINGFUL distinction between Kovalchuk's deal, and any of the rest. And do you honestly believe that the league would have rejected the reported 15 year $80 million deal that the Kings had on the table. (To answer you ahead of time, the extra two years is a meaningless distinction). I'm sorry, I've never been one to buy into conspiracies, but this absolutely wreaks of vendetta from the league. If this deal is done by any team that the league likes seeing on tv, there would be no issue. And the NHL wonders why it isn't taken seriously. If Pittsburgh gave the same deal, Bettman would be at the press conference in his Pens jersey inappropriately touching Crosby under the table. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cubanjd305 Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 its their cover for the overall message, "we dont want kovy in jersey. he isnt marketable there. he needs a big city with nothing to overshadow him." By this, Lou didn't make a mistake by pointing out the league's loophole, he made a mistake by saying Kovy was a piece of the puzzle....Bettman was like NOOOO....he has to be the center of attention, can't market pieces of a puzzle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legion15 Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 (edited) Just make it $95MM/15 years ($6.3MM annual) and move on....to win the Cup and rub it in (throw it at...perhaps) Bettman's face. Or we could find something more fitting to throw in his face... anyone live near a farm? Edited July 21, 2010 by Legion15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClarkyDano23 Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 Been meaning to post this, and now seems as good a time as any... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neb00rs Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 (edited) Edit. Post makes no sense now because it was moved. Edited July 21, 2010 by ben00rs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neb00rs Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 It would be pretty ironic if this crap inspired Kovie to begin a freakish conditioning regime, play at an exceptionally high level for the next 17 years, and win 5 or 6 cups, including one in the last year of the deal. LOL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOLLYWOOD Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 ESPN Sportcenter is now covering it... video clips and all. PR stunt is working. ESPN Kovy Contract Poll Here: http://espn.go.com/nhl/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legion15 Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 seriously? that many think 10 or fewer? must be fans of all our rivals - and fans of the kings/thrashers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njd3b1ink Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 looks like were goin to war Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grcenter47 Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 (edited) Another article about this.... ESPN.com article by Scott Burnside Edited July 21, 2010 by grcenter47 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cubanjd305 Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 looks like were goin to war Make it "We're going to war.......and don't worry about my cap" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amberite Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 Another article about this.... ESPN.com article by Scott Burnside Burnside is partying like it's 1999. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toaster13 Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 I was happy about signing Kovy and didn't get to post my emotions until now and now the contract has been rejected. wow lol. Anyways, I don't see the NHL having much to back themselves in this case if it goes to an arbitrator. I don't like deals like this really but hey if it's in the CBA and has been done before you can't reject it just by saying he'll be 44 because players have hit that age. Do some work Lou, pull your magic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neb00rs Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 (edited) looks like were goin to war Funny sig picture. But the sig's gettin' a little big there. Edited July 21, 2010 by ben00rs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hobgoblin933 Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 Not sure if anyone has said anything about this but if you read anything he said at the press conference, it seems like he genuinely likes our organization and the guys we have. I noticed a lot of people asked if there was any chance he'd play elsewhere and i think after reading what he said again it's 99% more likely that the deal just needs to be restructured or the rejection will be challenged Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thefiestygoat Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 Sh!t like this makes sports tougher and tougher to deal with. The NBA does nothing about a ref fixing games, MLB and FIFA refuse to use technology to get calls right, and the NHL arbitrarily applies rules only when they hurt the teams they don't like. I'd like to take the moral high ground and abandon the sport completely because of this, speak with my wallet and all that, but you know what? I'm too fvcking pissed and too fvcking loyal to this team. Maybe sports should just be fun, and maybe there are multiple real problems and it's not fair or logical of me to get this emotional about a game, but this season just became a war. I want to run up scores, and flip off the other teams. I want Leblond to intentionally injure Crosby, Ovie, and anyone important on an original 6 team. I want Lou to bring back Peters if Leblond gets suspended. I want Stevens to go to the league office and kill Bettman. But more than any of that, I want to win this cup to prove to the league that, no matter how much they want to, they can't kill the fvcking Devils. They tried to send us to Nashville, they changed the rules to hurt our players, they stood in our way when we tried to sign a legal contract (and I hear what tri and 731 are saying about the terms, and the legality, but if we were a sexier team, the NHL would turn the other way), but we have a proud team, the best fvcking GM in the sport, and, no matter what every assh0le fan from everywhere else says, a fan base I'd go to war with in a second. It's time for all of us to band together against the world. Fvck speaking with my wallet, I'm going to more games this year, and I'll travel with the team so I can laugh at every other fvcking fan when we kick their asses. This is supposed to be fun, and maybe it will be, but the NHL has done the best they can to suck the fun out of the game for Devils fans, and the only way I see it being worth it is if we can laugh in their fvcking faces drinking kool-aid out of the cup. Amen brother! I'm confident Kovalchuk will end up a Devil...it's just a matter of how long this fvcking process is going to get dragged out. Ugh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizDevil30 Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 Age discrimination is illegal. And the league does not have a crystal ball. No one does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CommieCoyote Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 Am I the only one who has a bad feeling about next offseason? The way we're willing to blow money on Kovy, it seems a little unnerving. We have a couple contracts ending next season (the biggest being Parise) and we haven't even approached other players like Mottau (who is more then willing to stay in NJ.) Are we really putting all of our eggs into the Kovulchuk basket? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshall Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 What a way to ruin my morning. Won't have any problem to find motivation in the gym at least... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devilsfan26 Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 Age discrimination is illegal. And the league does not have a crystal ball. No one does. I'm pretty sure this doesn't count as age discrimination, it's not like the league is saying you can't play when you're 44, the issue is that the contract was not drawn up with the expectation that Kovalchuk will actually play all 17 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshall Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 Link to the site with the FB profile? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
one trick pony Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 Do you guys seriously not understand the issue with Kovy's contract? It's not the term, or his age when the contract ends. It's the structure of the contract. It's designed to give kovy the max payout during his prime years while making the Cap hit per year very low. The last five years of the contract are only there to lower the cap hit. During this time Kovy won't be making any more money than a rookie or journeymen. And given the current CBA, Kovy has the ability to retire BEFORE his contract is over. This contract was intended to circumvent the CBA and the cap. That's the issue here. The rest is irrelevant. What will happen from this? who knows. I do hope it ends soon though, so the rest of the free agency can continue. I thought we got rid of all this drama when we got rid of Kovy, but even on another team he seems to create drama. Enjoy his wrister. That's pretty much all he's got. I will NOT miss the times when he floated in the neutral zone only to have some no name rookie skate over to him and steal the puck away, and go skating off on a breakaway. He's very talented when he has the puck, but when he doesn't have it you could easily mistake him for a figure skater the way he skates around in circles. Your goals for are going to increase for sure; but so are your goals against. You can count on it. Don't believe me? Go to Hulu, and watch any number of games and watch him for yourself. He's a floater! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartysGlove Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 Do you guys seriously not understand the issue with Kovy's contract? It's not the term, or his age when the contract ends. It's the structure of the contract. It's designed to give kovy the max payout during his prime years while making the Cap hit per year very low. The last five years of the contract are only there to lower the cap hit. During this time Kovy won't be making any more money than a rookie or journeymen. And given the current CBA, Kovy has the ability to retire BEFORE his contract is over. This contract was intended to circumvent the CBA and the cap. That's the issue here. The rest is irrelevant. What will happen from this? who knows. I do hope it ends soon though, so the rest of the free agency can continue. I thought we got rid of all this drama when we got rid of Kovy, but even on another team he seems to create drama. Enjoy his wrister. That's pretty much all he's got. I will NOT miss the times when he floated in the neutral zone only to have some no name rookie skate over to him and steal the puck away, and go skating off on a breakaway. He's very talented when he has the puck, but when he doesn't have it you could easily mistake him for a figure skater the way he skates around in circles. Your goals for are going to increase for sure; but so are your goals against. You can count on it. Don't believe me? Go to Hulu, and watch any number of games and watch him for yourself. He's a floater! Hmmm? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Puddy Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 (edited) Do you guys seriously not understand the issue with Kovy's contract? It's not the term, or his age when the contract ends. It's the structure of the contract. It's designed to give kovy the max payout during his prime years while making the Cap hit per year very low. The last five years of the contract are only there to lower the cap hit. During this time Kovy won't be making any more money than a rookie or journeymen. And given the current CBA, Kovy has the ability to retire BEFORE his contract is over. This contract was intended to circumvent the CBA and the cap. That's the issue here. The rest is irrelevant. What will happen from this? who knows. The issue is the combination of all the elements. It's the length of the contract, the age when it ends, and the salary structure. People are bitching because the league hasn't complained about deals like this before. Luongo is signed till he's 43 with the last 2 years at $1m. He won't be making any more money than a backup (see: J. Hedberg). The league approved that deal. Can you tell me with a straight face that's not meant to circumvent the cap? The league made this play because Kovy's contract goes farther than any of these in terms of the term (17 years), age at end (44), and salary in the final years (550k) [edit: actually, Pronger's last 2 years are at 525k]. If this deal were 2 years shorter (even with the aggressive frontloading) the league has a much shakier footing, since there have been multiple approved frontloaded contracts that carry players to age 42. I'm predicting this turns into a 15 year deal at 95-98m, with the final years at 1m. There is no way the league could reject that considering since it's in line with the Hossa, Pronger, Luongo, Zetterberg, and Franzen deals. Edited July 21, 2010 by David Puddy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Puddy Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 (edited) Here's a 15y/97.5m deal I think would get through: 2@6, 5@11.5, 10.5, 7.5, 4.5, 1.5, 4@1 = 97.5 (AAV 6.5) Or 15y/95m: 2@6, 5@11.5, 9.5, 7.5, 3.5, 5@1 = 95 (AAV, 6.33) Frankly due to Pronger's contract I think you could get away with having a few 550k years at the end, just not as many as in this contract. I don't think the Devils are far off from what the league has forced itself to accept. I bet this will be done sooner than we think. Edited July 21, 2010 by David Puddy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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