So Kovalchuk is here to stay and the numbers that surround his name are astounding. Obivously there will be changes made in order for the Devils to meet the NHL Salary Cap. Problem is, who goes? According to Capgeek.com, the following players have NTC/NMC in their contract: Elias, Rolston, Arnott, Langenbrunner, Volchenkov, White, Salvador, Brodur and Hedberg but I will get to this in a minute.

The unofficial numbers came in last night and they are 17 years at $102 million with a contract that is front loaded. If the unofficial numbers are right, Kovalchuk will receive 6 million per for the next 2 years and then get a nice raise after that. He'll make 11.5 million for 5 seasons, 10.5 the year after that and then watch the yearly number take a dive each season. Rumors were circulating yesterday that the contract is setup so that Kovalchuk doesn't have to play the entire 17, he could retire, get most of his money and the Devils wouldn't be on the hook for the contract once he retired BUT even talking about that scenario with a player isn't really allowed. The Devils aren't the first to do this with contracts, just look at Luongo's or Hossa's numbers. Kovalchuk contract includes a no-movement clause through June 30, 2017 and a no-trade clause begins on July 1, 2018. That gives NJ a one year window to move Kovalchuk should something not be going right. By the end of the seventh season when that trade window opens, the Devils will have paid Kovalchuk $69.5 million of the $102 million total.

More thoughts after the jump

 

It's been a little quiet around here, mostly because the league seems to be waiting on Kovalchuk to make a decision. The Devils have prospects playing this week and Volchenkov made an appearence this morning so it give us something to talk about!!

Kovalchuk Still Out There

Two weeks ago the free agents took to the open market and started signing with new teams, old teams or the same teams but two weeks in and we still don't know the fate of Ilya Kovalchuk. Two thoughts to go along with my
Kovalchuk rant from last week.

A) Good for him for not rushing into the first contract that came his way. I want to think that what drives this guy is the want and need to hoist that Cup over his head and not the money that appears in his bank account. Taking his time to find the right team can lead me to believe that, although, at times it looks like he's trying to get the most money he can out of LA. Honestly though,  if he was in it for the money then wouldn't he have jumped at Atlanta's offer last season?

B) ) I am done mentioning his name on this blog until he signs a contract. ANY CONTRACT!!

Fun little fact brought to you by Down Goes Brown: The Ilya Kovalchuk Sweepstakes has lasted longer than any post-season Kovalchuk has ever experienced!! Doesn't that make you just a little sad??


The A-Train arrives in Newark.

So apparently Anton Volchenkov showed up at the Prudential Center this morning and was quoted saying "I would have liked to stay in Ottawa. My next choice was to find a good place for me." Honestly, I don't have a problem with that at all. Some might read into that he doesn't really want to be here but he signed a pretty long contract for that to be true. He spent 8 years in Ottawa so I can understand wanting to stay, especially with having a family but in the end they didn't offer him what he wanted.  He gives NJ something we haven't had in a long time and as fans we should be really excited about that. Some people might not really know much about him so I took this off the Senators site to introduce people to him. He's certainly a guy that isn't afraid to hit.

Devils Prospect Camp

Devils are holding their prospect camp this week. What stands out to me the most after looking at the guys playing is that the Devils are certainly very deep when it comes to defenseman. Sure, the question is can they play at the NHL level yet?

Of the guys there this week, I don't think Corrente's a lock to make the team this year although some do. I wouldn't be shocked if he started in Albany and finds his way back to the Devils midyear. I am looking forward to see what Tedenby,Josefson,Urbom and Palmieri can do with the time this week. Of that group though, I'd say Urbom has the best shot while the other three have a little more than an outside shot. Tyler Eckford's a weird one for me because he is constantly touted and he has the instincts, but he's already 25.

When I woke up on Monday morning I was pretty convinced that Ilya Kovalchuk was going to sign with the Los Angeles Kings and I was ok with that. In fact, I was more than ok with that. Then came a story out of the LA Times that the Kings were out, the tweet by Kovalchuk's agent and the story in the NY Post saying that Kovalchuk was close to signing with NJ and my mind started to think about the possibilities. Now, on Wednesday night, I am back to being done with Kovalchuk.

Yes, he's a tremendous talent and adds an incredible weapon to any offense but for me, it just doesn't work and after the jump I will give you my reasons why.

All was pretty quiet yesterday until around 12:30pm when Ilya Kovalchuk's agent sent out a tweet that got everyone moving yesterday.  Jay Grossman posted on his Twitter account: “Ilya Kovalchuk looking to make decision on his future today.” That was quickly followed up by a report in the NY Post saying it was the Devils who were going to land him for 7 years at $60 million dollars. Then, everything just stopped. Later in the evening, Jay Grossman again hit Twitter with “Ilya Kovalchuk choices have been narrowed down, details to be finalized but no announcement tonight.” Don't you just love agents??

Jay Grossman's first tweet led to so much speculation as did his second one.

Had the Devils and Kovalchuk come to an agreement with many details still to be worked out?
Did the Islanders offer $10 million on a 10-year contract or did general manager Garth Snow fail to put an actual offer on the table?
Might the Atlanta Thrashers, who offered Kovalchuk a 12-year, $101 million deal last season before trading him to the Devils, have gotten back into the picture?
Has a deal actually been worked out but with the news of Bob Probert's sudden passing, should we just put this on the back burner until tomorrow so that the hockey world can properly mourn his passing?

Lamoriello has maintained that the Devils were still in the hunt for Kovalchuk. However, if the Devils’ offer is for $60 million over seven years, the GM would have to find some cap space before the regular season opened on Oct. 8.

So we continue to wait on word of where Kovalchuk will call home and for how long.

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Defenseman Mark Fraser, who spent the entire 2009-10 season with the Devils, has filed for salary arbitration.

Fraser was one of 31 NHL players to file for salary arbitration. He earned $500,000 last season.

The 6-3, 2200-pound defenseman, who could be a key part of the Devils' defense this season, had six points (three goals, three assists) with 36 penalty minutes in 61 games

During the live coverage of free agency two days ago, I waited anxiously to find out what, exactly, the Devils would do. General manager Lou Lamoriello was adamant about improving the defense, and I figured Paul Martin would be part of those plans. As a matter of fact, I believed Martin would (and should) take precedence over Ilya Kovalchuk. But after two hours, the Devils lost one of their better defenseman, and the feeling of his departure was an all-too familiar feeling for Devils fans everywhere.

When it was announced that Martin would sign with the Pittsburgh Penguins, I felt a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. The defenseman became another solid player to leave for a division foe, and one that will challenge the Devils in the Atlantic Division for the forseeable future. Martin, an important piece of the Devils defense, would now don one of the ugliest jerseys in the game and face his former team six times a season. The defenseman joined the team that broke his forearm last season! But the Penguins offered a nice five-year, $25 million dollar deal, and Martin was a Penguin.

At first, losing Martin upset me. The Devils needed his presence on the blue line, and I thought he could flourish under new coach John MacLean. The team needed a solid puck-moving defenseman, and Martin could provide that play. More importantly, the team needed some type of firepower from the blue line. While Martin wasn’t great offensively, he still gave opposing teams something to think about. With him gone, the Devils lost a solid player and another good homegrown product.

I was further infuriated when I read these comments, provided by Tom Gulitti of the Bergen Record. Martin decided to sign with the Penguins because of their ability to win immediately and contend for a Stanley Cup championship.

Continue Reading

The first day of free agency in the NHL is in the books and it certainly proved to be a crazy day. There were a number of things done yesterday that had me scratching my head. For example, take the smart signing of Martin Biron by the Rangers only to follow up with a multiyear deal for Boogaard who has 2 goals in 5 years and who's only contribution on the ice is pounding other guys in the face. That icing on the cake for the day though had to belong to the Calgary Flames who brought back Olli Jokinen, a guy they couldn't get rid of fast enough last season.

The Devils didn't have a bad day and they certainly threw around the checkbook which is a little uncharacteristic for them on July 1. If you partied too much on Canada Day and completely missed what happened, you are in luck as I am going to recap and add my thoughts in on what went down with the Devils yesterday.

This post will attempt to follow all the Devils signings today. Continue to check back regularly for updates throughout the day!

Devils Re-Sign Rod Pelley

The Devils re-signed UFA center Rod Pelley. Contract details will follow.

Pelley played 63 games last season, tallying two goals and eight assists while playing on the fourth line. The team has expected him to fill the role of the departed John Madden, but Pelley has never seemed to work himself into that role.

 

Paul Martin Signs With Pittsburgh

The Devils will lose one of their two big-name unrestricted free agents today, as Paul Martin reportedly signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The defender missed most of last season with a broken forearm, sustained in a game against those Penguins.

Martin signed a 5 year, $25 million dollar deal.

 

Devils Sign Henrik Tallinder

Tallinder signed a 4 year,  $13.5 million dollar deal (3.375 per year).  Tallinder had 4 goal and 16 assists for the Sabres last season. Tallinder is by no means a replacement for Martin on the blue line because the game that both these guys play is completely different.

 

Anton Volchenkov Inks With NJ

Anton Volchenkov signed a deal with NJ for $25.5 million over 6 years. The deal is also rumored to have a No-Trade Clause. Volchenkov had 4 goals and 10 assists for the Ottawa Senators last season but is one of the best shot blocking defenseman available today.

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At noon tomorrow, the NHL will engage in their own “silly season.” By now, you’ve already been inundated with coverage of the NBA free-agency pool. While the NHL can’t boast the star power, the excitement and anticipation still hangs in the air for every single team. It’s through free agency that several teams will try and find that missing piece to bring them to the playoffs or even hoist the Stanley Cup.

But with a weaker free agent class this year, many teams might not find those players to lead their teams to victory. And, when looking at the Devils, I’d expect the team to take a wait-and-see approach to fill their free agent holes.

The Devils have two of the biggest unrestricted free agent names coming off the books tomorrow. Both Paul Martin and Ilya Kovalchuk will become unrestricted free agents tonight, and the Devils haven’t made significant headway with either player. As reported yesterday by Rich Chere of the Star-Ledger, Martin’s agent doesn’t believe the two sides will come to an agreement before tonight.

“I’ve spoken to Lou (Lamoriello) on a few different occasions,” said former Devils player Ben Hankinson, who represents Martin. “It’s obviously been a very frustrating year for Paulie and the Devils. There will probably be some more changes. Time will tell if he ends up back in  New Jersey.”

While it’s not the most reassuring quote, it sums up the potential of watching two big free agents leave the team. We as fans have been through this before. Scott Gomez left to sign a huge contract with the Rangers, as did Bobby Holik a few years before him. One of the most heartbreaking signings was when Brian Rafalski left to join the Red Wings. In each of these scenarios, the team lost players because of fiscal concerns. And, during this free agency period, I wouldn’t be surprised to see one of the two unrestricted free agents leave.

Remember, the Devils never usually make a huge splash in free agency. And, given whatboth Kovalchuk and Martin would want in dollars, the Devils probably won’t retain both of them. While the Devils have made some big signings in the past few years, the latest being Brian Rolston (four years, $20 million). But usually Lamoriello looks to make smaller moves to improve the team. That’s when guys like Yann Danis, Dean McAmmond and Rob Niedermayer get signed. These players provide depth and experience to the organization, and they usually are “trademark Lou” moves.

Continue reading to see what I believe the Devils will ultimately focus on come noon tomorrow.

 

The Devils agreed to a two-way, one-year contract with center Tim Sestito, general manager Lou Lamoriello announced today.

Sestito would have become an unrestricted Group 6 free agent tomorrow at noon. A Group 6 UFA is a player who’s contract has expired, is 25 or older, has played at least three professional seasons and has played less than 80 career NHL games.

Sestito, who turns 26 on August 28, recorded no goals and one assist in nine NHL games this season. He has no goals and one assist in ten career NHL games.

Sestito recorded 18 goals and 17 assists in 66 AHL games in 2009-2010 for the Lowell Devils.

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