Report: Kovalchuk gets 17-year offer from Russian league
If NHL star Ilya Kovalchuk really wants to sign a 17-year contract, he will not have to do it only with the New Jersey Devils.
The free agent forward, who is appealing the league's nix of his 17-year deal with the Devils, was offered a similar contract by the president of the Russian Kontinental Hockey League, which included a choice of team, Sovetsky Sport reported Thursday.
The NHL and its players union are scheduling arbitration to decide if the 17-year, $102 million contract the Devils offered 27-year-old Kovalchuk is legal. The league claims the length is being used to circumvent its salary cap.
"I haven't spoken with him myself," KHL President Alexander Medvedev said. "I don't want to make his difficult situation any worse." Instead of taking a rest and training, Kovalchuk has to get ready for a court hearing. And these cases, as we know, are unpredictable. There were a lot of instances when players chose to find a peaceful solution with clubs right before hearings."
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