A second attempt by the New Jersey Devils to sign free agent Ilya Kovalchuk has reportedly been turned down by the NHL.

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There is certainly a lot of discussion going on, either on the internet or hockey talk radio about some of the proposed rule change experiments at the R & D camp in Toronto. I thought this would be a good time to weigh in on some changes I would like to see, whether or not they are currently being experimented with at the R&D camp.

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During the offseason, Running With The Devils will preview the matchup between New Jersey and their opponents. New Jersey, which finished second in the conference and won the Atlantic Division last season, will look to duplicate their success and finally get out of the first round of the playoffs this season. In today’s second schedule preview, we focus on an Eastern Conference opponent – the Boston Bruins.

Make sure to read after the jump for the full preview!

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Throughout the offseason, Running With The Devils' will preview the upcoming 2010-2011 season schedule for the New Jersey Devils. New Jersey finished second in the Eastern Conference and made the playoffs for the thirteenth straight year last season, and the team will look to duplicate that success in the upcoming season. After previewing a few teams so far (you can find those under the “Analysis/Reaction” tab), we move to the next team – the Colorado Avalanche.

Continue after the jump for the full preview with the Avs.

The war is on now. The NHL having defeated the grievance filed by Ilya Kovalchuk and the New Jersey Devils are now looking into other long term contracts that they haven't been thrilled with. Is Gary Bettman seeing the big picture here or only looking at what is right in front of his face? Has he forgotten what this league is all about and more importantly, has he forgotten how important the fans are to the success of this league?

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Yesterday, I put up my initial reaction to the ruling that Ilya Kovalchuk’s 17-year, $102 million contract had been denied. The response was posted about an hour after the initial ruling, and quotes from system arbitrator Richard Bloch’s decision were scarce.

Eventually, quotes from the decision began circulate, and now, with more information, I can give a better opinion on today’s events. And, when looking at the quotes, I’ve come to find that Bloch’s evidence for his ruling doesn’t fully satisfy me. Bloch’s reasoning, while good, doesn’t provide a solid case against the Devils or the contract. After the jump, I provide my reasoning for this conclusion.

So it was July 19th that we got word Kovalchuk was coming to town, for a very long time. On July 20th, we introduced him and his mega-long-term contract to the fans on the Devils. That night, the league said not so fast and now 3 weeks later we should pretend that none of this ever happened. Kovalchuk is once again a free agent after Richard Bloch ruled in favor of the NHL.

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A day of anxious waiting and nervous joking for Devils’ fans ended after 5 p.m. today, when they learned systems arbitrator Richard Bloch (a New Jersey native) upheld the NHL’s rejection of Ilya Kovalchuk’s 17-year, $102 million contract agreement with the Devils.

When the news first broke, I wanted to fire off an angry post about NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and the decision. I was going to rant and rave about Marian Hossa, Henrik Zetterberg, and the other players who signed similar deals.

But, when it comes down to it, Bloch made a decision that wasn’t much of a surprise, and the league finally made headway into putting these long-term deals to bed. Read after the jump for my continued reaction of the arbitrator's ruling on Kovalchuk's grievance.

According to multiple sources, systems arbitrator Richard Bloch ruled for the NHL and upheld the league’s rejection of Ilya Kovalchuk’s 17-year, $102 million contract.

The NHL and NHLPA have yet to release a statement, but several reliable sources are making these reports.

More coming soon.

Today is the day Devils' fans have been anxiously waiting for.

By the end of the business day, systems arbitrator Richard Bloch will decide whether or not to uphold the NHL's rejection of Ilya Kovalchuk's 17-year, $102 million contract he signed with the New Jersey Devils July 19, 2010.

The decision carries significant weight for both the Devils organization and Kovalchuk. But the announcement will also create a domino effect throughout the league, and could potentially impact several organizations and players. Read after the jump to see what potential outcomes can come from the announcement.