Richard Bloch, the arbitrator in the Ilya Kovalchuk arbitration case, upheld the NHL's decision to reject Kovalchuk's recently signed 17-year, $102 million contract with the New Jersey Devils.
The ruling makes Kovalchuk an unrestricted free agent for the second time this summer. In other words, it puts another speed bump in the free agent market.
Kovalchuk's deal with the Devils was a very cap-friendly pact that would pay the Russian star the money he wants over a span of a decade and a half while not annihilating the team's future salary cap troubles.
For the NHL, it was a clear sign that there's a big loophole in the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that would allow teams to take advantage of a flaw in the agreement where they can sign decade long deals with the league minimum for a good portion of said contract.
Gary Bettman is realizing that if he allows teams to continue to take advantage of the loophole, it's going to make a mockery of the CBA.
What it means for the Devils is that general manager Lou Lamoriello, who blatantly took advantage of the glitch in the system, will have to go back to the table to negoti ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Tom Dougherty
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