RealGM

Wow, I guess he wants to play in Russia badly. At 30, he had $77 million/12 years left on his contract.
http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/blog/eye-o ... retirement

ummmm....77 million on the table so you can go back to Russia? Dang

LOLWUT?

The Devils have to be the happiest sons of bitches on the planet today

Will Kovalchuk end up in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

417 goals and 816 points in 816 games

He's 18th all-time in goals-per-game, but you have to figure in the lack of decline towards the end of his career

Remember, it's the HOCKEY Hall of Fame, not the NHL Hall of Fame, so you have to factor in his international play as well as what he accomplishes in the KHL

I think I read he was making $15 million per year in the KHL during the lockout. Easy to see why he would walk away from his contract here.

ajaX82 wrote:ummmm....77 million on the table so you can go back to Russia? Dang

He'll get paid in the KHL, possibly more than he was making in the NHL the only question is how long will the money last?

Shocking move though.

Sounds like he'll be getting between 15-20 million per season in the KHL and all of it tax free...

WEFFPIM wrote:LOLWUT?

The Devils have to be the happiest sons of bitches on the planet today

Not really, they gave up so many assets to get him/keep him. Plus he announced this after free agency, when all the top/middle end free agents were already locked up.

The Devils will look back on this and thank him for retiring. That contract was awful, and it was going to get worse. Plus, their ownership was already broke, so saving 77 mill is pretty damn good.

Except now they suck, and they will have to forfeit their 1st round pick next year, for signing Kovalchuk.

TheRealistGM wrote:

WEFFPIM wrote:LOLWUT?

The Devils have to be the happiest sons of bitches on the planet today

Not really, they gave up so many assets to get him/keep him. Plus he announced this after free agency, when all the top/middle end free agents were already locked up.

Uhh, they gave up almost nothing to get him. The best player the Thrashers/Jets got was Johnny Oduya. Nic Bergfors and Patrice Cormier are nothing. They also gave up a 1st round pick but Jon Merrill (the 2nd rounder the Devils picked up from ATL) looks better than the 1st rounder (Kevin Hayes) that they gave to ATL.

trwi7 wrote:Uhh, they gave up almost nothing to get him. The best player the Thrashers/Jets got was Johnny Oduya. Nic Bergfors and Patrice Cormier are nothing. They also gave up a 1st round pick but Jon Merrill (the 2nd rounder the Devils picked up from ATL) looks better than the 1st rounder (Kevin Hayes) that they gave to ATL.

You also have to consider the fine they paid and the first they're giving up next year for the first contract they tried to get away with. And then there's Parise as well, because of Kovalchuk's contract they lost him...

I'm talking about what they gave up to get him, which was pretty much nothing. I think Parise was gone to Minnesota with or without Kovalchuk so I certainly wouldn't include him in that.