8:00 PM: Elliotte Friedman via twitter: Kovalchuk’s salary breakdown: $6 mill, $6 mill, $11.5 mill, $11.5 mill, $11.5 mill, $11.5 mill, $11.5 mill, $10.5 mill, $8.5 mill, $6.5 mill, $3.5 mill, $750K, $550K, $550K, $550K, $550K, $550K. $6 million average for 17 years.
4:23 PM: Craig Custance via twitter: According to Rich Hammond, LA’s last offer to Kovalchuk was for $80 million over 15 years.
3:19 PM: Dmitry Chesnokov via twitter: From what he’s heard, $102 million over 17 years. $10 million for first 8 years, $7.5 million for the next 2 …. (So that’s $95 million over 10 years, $7 million over the last 7 years.)
3:03 PM: James Mirtle via twitter: Looking to confirm, but deal sounds like it’s between a $6 and $7 million cap hit for 17 years.
12:46 PM: Dmitry Chosnokov via twitter: Hearing out of Russia, 17 years in excess of $100 million.
12:35 PM: KuklasKorner via twitter: RDS contacted and said they were just citing previous reports.
12:28 PM: KuklasKorner via twitter: Fan590 says RDS reporting the deal is 7 years, $60 million.
12:25 PM: Dmitry Chesnokov via twitter: Kovalchuk’s mother tells Sovetsky Sport that the deal is for 17 years.
12:07 PM: According to the New Jersey Devils offical twitter feed, the Devils have re-signed Ilya Kovalchuk, with the press conference coming tomorrow.
So much for the 98% sure that Kovalchuk would be signing with the LA Kings, but regardless of that report, there were numerous other reports that the Kings were close.
Financial numbers haven’t been released yet, but the NY Post reported a couple weeks ago that the Devils put a 7 year, $60 million offer on the table, a $8.57 million cap hit.
Dennis Bernstein of TheFourthPeriod (via twitter) says to look for the Kings to make a play on an Eastern Conference winger. Simon Gagne.
Steve Simmons via twitter: Simmons states that Kings GM Dean Lombardi didn’t want to sign Kovalchuk, it was those above him.
