- Larry Brooks of the NY Post: Rather than attempting to summarize the main points, click on the link to read Brooks’ entire article, it’s a must read for all.
The NHL has given the NHL Players Association an ultimatum regarding not only the contested, front-loaded, long-term contract between the Devils and Ilya Kovalchuk, but of similar contracts the league registered last summer between the Blackhawks and Marian Hossa, and between the Canucks and goaltender Roberto Luongo.
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Tom Gulitti via twitter: The NHL and NHLPA have been talking since the August 9th Bloch ruling about long-term contract and amending the CBA.
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SpectorsHockey via twitter: With the NHLPA currently lacking direction and fire, the League may be looking to “squeeze what it can from the PA”.
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Larry Brooks via twitter: On the possible ‘de-registering’ of Roberto Luongo’s contract, the Canucks would have no say or appeal, the NHLPA would have to file the grievance.
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Dmitry Chesnokov via twitter: The Blackhawks would be extremely upset if Marian Hossa’s contract is voided considering all the moves they had to make to get under the cap.
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SpectorsHockey via twitter: The contracts of Chris Pronger and Marc Savard apparently won’t be voided. Richardson wonders if the weight the teams’ owners carry with the League has anything to do with it. Jeremy Jacobs is the president of the NHL Board of Governors. The Flyers Ed Snider is also considered very influential.
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Darren Dreger via twitter: Dreger wouldn’t be surprised if Kovalchuk’s Friday extension is extended beyond Friday. Though a longshot, the amended rule could be in place by the end of the weekend.
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Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Province: The League had told the Canucks to take 2 years off of Roberto Luongo’s contract when it was signed. The Canucks obviously didn’t, and the NHL only “conditionally accepted the contract”. A third party law firm was brought in to question some of the Canucks management. If there was any wrongdoing found, the League probably would have acted on it by now.
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Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun: There is belief that Gary Bettman could be worried that Kovalchuk could jump ship. Also …League sources say the Kovalchuk decision isn’t “just about him” because “the structure of the contract is going to go a long way in deciding what is going to happen with the other deals being investigated.”“There is something bigger at work here,” said one league executive. “Perhaps they want to get all these deals resolved at once, so that the league and the players can put all this uncertainty behind them.”
