The decision by an arbitrator to reject the $102 million dollar contract between the Ilya Kovalchuk and the New Jersey Devils could affect NHL odds at the sportsbook website. The Devils could lose Kovalchuk as he is now a free agent and that would hurt their odds at the sportsbook and four other big name players could also be affected.
Sportsbook website odds list New Jersey at 13-1 to win the Stanley Cup this season. They would have a tougher time getting to the finals without Kovalchuk. If you combine his stats from Atlanta and New Jersey from last season he would have been the top goal scorer on the team. The Devils had worked out a 17-year, $102 million dollar deal with Kovalchuk but the NHL felt that the contract was in violation of the CBA and an arbitrator agreed. Kovalchuk is now a free agent and he might not be the only player affected by the arbitrator’s ruling. The NHL is now looking at similar contracts made in the past few years that involve Chicago’s Marian Hossa, Philadelphia’s Chris Pronger, Vancouver’s Roberto Luongo and Boston’s Marc Savard. The league is looking into the contracts of all four players. Savard just recently signed a seven-year, $28 million dollar extension and if that deal is rejected he would become a free agent. The only one of the four players who has already played under his new deal is Hossa who signed a 12-year, $63.3 million deal last summer.
The problem with these deals is that they are front-loaded with money. For example, Hossa’s deal pays out $59.3 million in the first eight years of the deal. His deal is similar to the one signed by Vancouver’s Roberto Luongo. If Luongo’s contract was voided he would probably become a free agent and he would attract a lot of attention on the open market.
All of the players mentioned are key members of their respective teams. Kovalchuk is a big time scorer for New Jersey, Hossa is a good scorer for Chicago, Pronger is a great defenseman for Philadelphia, Luongo is one of the best goalies in the league and Savard is considered Boston’s top scorer. If any of those players would go to another team the NHL odds could be affected at the sportsbook.