KOVALCHUK CALLS IT QUITS ON DEVILS, NHL, HEADS TO RUSSIA’S KHL
Ilya Kovalchuk considered staying in Russia when the NHL lockout ended in January. Ultimately he returned to play the 2013 season with the New Jersey Devils.
But Thursday, Kovalchuk made official what the Devils knew was a possibility since then.
The Devils announced that Kovalchuk was returning home and retiring from the NHL. The final 12 years and $ 77 million US of his contract were voided, and Kovalchuk is free to play in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League.
“Though I decided to return this past season, ( general manager Lou Lamoriello) was aware of my desire to go back home and have my family there with me,” the 30- year- old said in a statement. “The most difficult thing for me is to leave the New Jersey Devils, a great organization that I have a lot of respect for, and our fans that have been great to me.”
It was a move that stunned the hockey world, but not Lamoriello, who insisted nothing in the game surprises him, including Kovalchuk’s abrupt departure.
“This wasn’t a decision by the New Jersey Devils,” Lamoriello said in a conference call.
Kovalchuk played for SKA St. Petersburg during the lockout and made it clear several months ago that he would stay there if he could. Reports from Russian news agencies indicated he will officially sign with SKA on Friday.
Kovalchuk’s retirement leaves a gaping hole on the Devils’ roster, though they do have almost $ 6.7 million more to use under the salary cap. They’ll be charged $ 250,000 each season through 2024- 25 as a result of this move, but they won’t be responsible for paying Kovalchuk another penny.
Lamoriello wasn’t forthcoming about the details of Kovalchuk’s decision, declining to reveal what the final conversations were like with the superstar winger who signed with the Devils three years ago after being traded there from Atlanta during the 2009- 10 season. At the time, the 17- year, $ 102- million contract Kovalchuk signed was ruled invalid as a salarycap circumvention because he would have been 44 by the end of the deal.
Even after revising the contract for 15 years and $ 100 million, the Devils must forfeit their 2014 first- round pick as punishment for the circumvention after they kept their selections in 2012 and 2013.