OT: Kovalchuk retires from the NHL

[Telos]

Loophole Lou will still try and find a way to get his lost 1st round pick back.

He'll fail. He did the crime, can't get out of doing the time just because it wasn't profitable.

 

[Butch 19]

Our fan base would be the same, so it's hard to laugh at them.

Kovalchuk is a punk. Plain and simple. You don't sign a contract and then announce "retirement" a few years later and then go play in the KHL. I shake my head at him and what he did to the Devils franchise. A respectable player doesn't do that.

Lou brought this on himself. He signed kovy for stupid money even after the NHL warned him not to. A respectable GM doesn't do that.

That makes it a bit easier to laugh at them.

 

[Ronk]

I only really remember one of the NJ posters due to his insane level of homerism. He had an avatar of Kovy's face with the word TROLOLOLOLOL or something to that effect under it.


Oh the irony...

 

[CNS]

His agent must be pissed off!

How? If his agent negotiated his KHL deal, he just got MORE money.

 

[Shellz]

Lou brought this on himself. He signed kovy for stupid money even after the NHL warned him not to. A respectable GM doesn't do that.

That makes it a bit easier to laugh at them.

Maybe at Lou.. you can blame him for the contract,but you cant blame him for Kovalchuk leaving. He just knew he would be making a lot more money and thats what it came down to. Kovalchuk signed a contract even after how ridiculous it was. Its his job to play through that while getting stupid money.

Those fans are just like us. So, I think it's okay to feel sympathy for them....seeing as they expected Kovy to be playing many more seasons.

 

[ScoreZeGoals]

One season ago the Devils went to the Cup final with Kovy, Parise, and Clarkson as their top three goal scorers (98 total goals). Now, all three of those guys are gone, and they got NOTHING in return for them, that's rough

 

[kingsfan28]

Man the Devils board is pure magic right now.

So is the Rangers.

 

[The Butcher]

Don't care if you are fan or not but he was in the prime money making years is my point. In fact in 2 of the 3 seasons he made LESS than his already low cap hit was. In all he made less 20 million on a deal that was worth 100 million dollars. That's not taking the money and running. If he had done this after 16-17 to 19-20 then I could see that argument.

However he is probably getting better paid in KHL. That can be argument he follows the money, but again would you not do the same? Are you so attached to your particular work place that you take way less money?

I hate it when people compare all of our boring mundane jobs that pay **** compared to professional athletes. It's totally different in almost every aspect.

Once you have millions of dollars in your checking account, priorities must change. People live off 40,000 dollars a year, how much is really necessary to be comfortable?

You look at guys like Dustin Brown and Jonathan Quick. Both could have gotten more money but their character and their commitment to winning trumps all else. Everyone here likes to talk about "we'd all do the same thing" and quite frankly I'm tired of it. It's NOT what I would do. Life isn't just about money for me. If I commit to something, for better or for worse I will see it through. If I don't, all I will hear is my fathers voice in my head telling me to man up because that's the way he raised me.

 

[kingsfan28]

Lou brought this on himself. He signed kovy for stupid money even after the NHL warned him not to. A respectable GM doesn't do that.

That makes it a bit easier to laugh at them.

Even Lombardi is probably smiling a bit right now. The same thing could've happened to us.

 

[Vamos Rafa]

Dude, this is getting scary. KHL players can make money like NBA or MLB superstars while $7 million a year is considered superstar money in the NHL. Should we be worried about Voynov in the future?

 

[Reclamation Project]

Dude, this is getting scary. KHL players can make money like a NBA or MLB superstars. Should we be worried about Voynov in the future?

No. He's said countless times he wants to play in the NHL and just reaffirmed that buy re-signing with us.

 

[The Butcher]

Dude, this is getting scary. KHL players can make money like NBA or MLB superstars while $7 million a year is considered superstar money in the NHL. Should we be worried about Voynov in the future?

Any hockey player that wants to play in the best, most competitive league in the world will play in the NHL.

I recently looked a little further into the KHL and it is a shady world of organized crime. Nobody who wants to be the best will play there.

 

[KINGS17]

I think I might still have some of those Kovalchuk urinal cards left over from a couple of seasons ago. I wonder if the Debbie fans would like to have them.

I can remember a few of the more obnoxious Debbie fans' usernames. I'm going to have some fun with a few PMs.

 

[kingsfan28]

Jeremy Roenick ‏@Jeremy_Roenick

Hey Ilya hope u live comfortably in Russia w the money u made from the 23 million u stole from the devils Again I'm right in my analysis

JR would know a thing or two about stealing $$$ from a team. He's getting raked over the coals for that comment.

 

[mbar]

What happens, theoretically, if Kovy decides to come back to the NHL in a year. Is he a UFA?

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/spo...an-lombardi-kings-nhl-hockey-free-agency.html

Here's more from the conversation I had with Kings General Manager Dean Lombardi after free agent Ilya Kovalchuk announced he had chosen the Devils' 17-year, $102-million offer over the Kings' 15-year, $80-million offer.

There was a widespread perception in the hockey community that Tim Leiweke, the Kings' governor and chief executive of their parent company, AEG, wanted Kovalchuk here more than Lombardi did.

Kovalchuk would have added the electricity and what's-he-gonna-do-now element of wonder that pure scorers bring, and he might have helped raise the Kings' profile in the L.A. market. That's a valid consideration -- not the only one, but a valid one.

"I’m not going to respond to that," Lombardi said. "I think there’s a business side and a hockey side to everything and the key is to make it all mesh. There are relative degrees of ‘want.’ I’m not going to worry about that."

Lombardi did say he liked Kovalchuk "much better" after the Russian winger visited Los Angeles last Sunday night through midday Tuesday.

"You’re talking about an $80-million investment. We certainly did a lot of due diligence prior to the draft, spoke to contacts in hockey. Ultimately it’s looking him in the eye and seeing how he reacts to certain questions," Lombardi said.

"And so in terms of you’re only dealing with hearsay until you get to meet him, I was more impressed with him. I felt much better about him after I met him. I thought he held up. When you’re talking the investment we’re talking I don’t think softball questions are the order of the day. We walked away, I felt more comfortable in terms of what we were pursuing."

It was yet another pursuit that didn't end with the Kings getting the top-tier free agent they wanted.

"Obviously it’s been a grueling process but I think what we put out there was certainly respectable and pushed the envelope as far as meeting all those interests. If you go beyond that, you will pay someday in terms of this whole thing," Lombardi said, referring to his insistence on retaining cap space to keep core players and make some additions.

"With a cap everything has to fit. And particularly if you’re talking about a deal of this length. It’s got to work from all quarters. And that’s it. In the end your job is to put your best offer out there and if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. If you just compete with other offers you’re going to get yourself in trouble."

Fast forward a year later: Kings acquire Mike Richards and later would acquire Jeff Carter en route to their first Stanley Cup. Devils lose Zach Parise to free agency, then lose David Clarkson as a UFA and now Kovalchuk to retirement, as well as what could conceivably be a high 1st round pick in 2014. They are also stuck with Volchenkov's immovable contract and high cap hit as well as the grossly overpaid Travis Zajac. While the Devils do gain cap flexibility as a result of Kovalchuk's departure, they are still in a dire situation given the age of their core players and the lack of upcoming talent to replace the top players who have left or are on the verge of retirement.

 

[CNS]

JR would know a thing or two about stealing $$$ from a team. He's getting raked over the coals for that comment.

Exactly. Called JR out earlier this thread. That **** (cu word) shouldn't talk. Or breathe. I ****ing HATE JR.

 

[kingsfan28]

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/spo...an-lombardi-kings-nhl-hockey-free-agency.html



Fast forward a year later: Kings acquire Mike Richards and later would acquire Jeff Carter en route to their first Stanley Cup. Devils lose Zach Parise to free agency, then lose David Clarkson as a UFA and now Kovalchuk to retirement, as well as what could conceivably be a high 1st round pick in 2014. They are also stuck with Volchenkov's immovable contract and high cap hit as well as the grossly overpaid Travis Zajac. While the Devils do gain cap flexibility as a result of Kovalchuk's departure, they are still in a dire situation given the age of their core players and the lack of upcoming talent to replace the top players who have left or are on the verge of retirement.

They still have Loktionov !

 

[ScoreZeGoals]

They still have Loktionov !

As their #1 center... I love Lokti, but that's ridiculous

 

[KingsFan7824]

It's all about options. If Kovalchuk didn't have the option of playing hockey for $20 million a year or whatever he's going to get in the KHL, he wouldn't have left the Devils.

Both sides signed off on this. If the Devils unilaterally terminated Kovalchuk's contract, the PA wouldn't stand for it. If Kovalchuk was demanding to be allowed to play in the KHL, while at the same time expecting to get the money from his contract with the Devils, the team and league would have a huge problem with that.

Kovalchuk is saying the Devils owe him no more money, the Devils are willing to terminate the contract for their own reasons, and so that's the end of that. Kovalchuk moves on, the Devils move on, a clean break.

It sucks for Devil fans, but they don't really enter into the equation for either the team or the player.

 

[Johnny Utah]

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/spo...an-lombardi-kings-nhl-hockey-free-agency.html



Fast forward a year later: Kings acquire Mike Richards and later would acquire Jeff Carter en route to their first Stanley Cup. Devils lose Zach Parise to free agency, then lose David Clarkson as a UFA and now Kovalchuk to retirement, as well as what could conceivably be a high 1st round pick in 2014. They are also stuck with Volchenkov's immovable contract and high cap hit as well as the grossly overpaid Travis Zajac. While the Devils do gain cap flexibility as a result of Kovalchuk's departure, they are still in a dire situation given the age of their core players and the lack of upcoming talent to replace the top players who have left or are on the verge of retirement.

And to think Lou is Dean's idol. Wow. NJ has come a long way from the early 90's when they were built on goaltending and defense. Now they load up on 1 player and he leaves them stranded. They have average defense, a 41 year old netminder and a heir apparent in an unproven Scheidner. No scoring forwards in the horizon, no top D men on the horizon.

 

[CNS]

As their #1 center... I love Lokti, but that's ridiculous

Best damn #1 center in the league. He'll replace Kovy on his own AND win Norris this year.

 

[Papa Mocha 15]

Unreal...it's a bad to day to live in New Jersey....oh wait....

They must have nothing to live for now.....

 

[Reclamation Project]

Is his wife researching schools in Russia now?

 

[KingsFan7824]

And to think Lou is Dean's idol. Wow. NJ has come a long way from the early 90's when they were built on goaltending and defense. Now they load up on 1 player and he leaves them stranded. They have average defense, a 41 year old netminder and a heir apparent in an unproven Scheidner. No scoring forwards in the horizon, no top D men on the horizon.

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/draft/teams/dr00007066.html

Yeah, their drafting has almost disappeared. They've still picked a good player or two in the last decade, but it's not the steady stream it used to be. Some of their drafts in the last 10 years look a lot like some of the Kings drafts from days gone by.

That's why drafting is so important. Trades usually open up a hold to fill one, unless you get really lucky, so you tread water there. You hit a cold streak at the draft table, and then you have to start filling the holes in your lineup with overpriced free agents. That usually doesn't work, at least if you do it too often.

When the Devils traded for Kovalchuk, even that was out of character for them. They never had to make a trade like that. On top of that they re-sign Kovalchuk to a big free agent contract, which is something they didn't really do even back when there was no cap.