Ilya Kovalchuk Scramble Has Potential High Price To the NJ Devils
August 15th, 2010 by H. Joseph Leave a reply »As the Devils scramble to not be left out in the cold, it would be advisable to consider the long-term ramifications of a sizeable financial commitment to superstar winger Ilya Kovalchuk.
With the current roster on the books for $56.275 million, the Devils would have needed to dump salary had the NHL even accepted Kovalchuk’s initial contract.
Now the Devils will have to take a larger cap hit, significantly more than six million a year, and potentially have to move multiple players just to make it work; though it appears Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello is prepared to do whatever it takes to keep Kovalchuk in the fold.
Lamoriello is widely considered to be a legendary general manager, but his recent track record has been spotty, including a handful of questionable transactions that have bogged down their cap flexibility.
Sizeable contracts for Dainius Zubrus, Henrik Tallinder, Brian Rolston, and Patrik Elias account for nearly 30 percent of the cap despite each of them ending up on the injured list. Not to mention that they've underachieved at a high level.
These contracts would ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by H. Joseph
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