Sportsbook Bettors Wonder What Will Happen to Kovalchuk. Bettors at the sportsbook are wondering what will happen to star winger Ilya Kovalchuk after the NHL rejected a 17-year deal that was made between Kovalchuk and the New Jersey Devils. Kovalchuk is a player who can make a difference for a team vs. the hockey odds at the sports book so it will be interesting to see what happens.
Sportsbook odds on New Jersey could be affected if Kovalchuk ends up signing with another team. It should be noted that New Jersey actually won their division last season and was a major force vs. the hockey odds at the sports book. The Devils tried to go around the collective bargaining agreement as they would have paid out $95 million of the contract in the first ten years of the deal. Kovalchuk would have made $550,000 a year for the final five years of the deal. New Jersey and the players union believe the deal is a good one but now they will have to convince an arbitrator of that fact.
The league really wants the contract of Kovalchuk to be voided as it would set a very bad precedent. Teams could set up contracts that pay a lot of money upfront and then pay very little at the end. If the arbitrator rules in favor of the league then Kovalchuk will become an unrestricted free agent and he could sign with any team. If the arbitrator rules against the Devils it is still possible that a new deal for Kovalchuck could be worked out with New Jersey.
Kovalchuk played with Atlanta for most of his career but he was traded to New Jersey last February. He has 338 goals and 304 assists in 642 career NHL games. He had 41 goals and 44 assists last season.
Other teams have gone with the front-loaded deals but nothing like what Kovalchuk was going to get. Vancouver is paying goaltender Roberto Luongo $63 million over a 12-year deal but the final four years pay him much less. Chicago’s Marian Hossa has a similar deal that would pay him very little for the last four seasons.
The bottom line is whether or not New Jersey violated the CBA agreement and that is now up to an arbitrator to decide.