Hockey fans will be forced to wait a little longer to find out whether the NHL has approved or rejected Ilya Kovalchuk's new 15-year, $100 million contract with the New Jersey Devils.
The NHL and the Players' Association have mutually agreed to extend the deadline to Friday at 5pm ET. A decision was expected to be made today at 5pm ET.
Kovalchuk, 27, originally signed a 17-year, $102 million deal with the Devils, but that contract was rejected by the NHL and later disapproved by an independent arbitrator.
According to Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos, the new deal will see Kovalchuk earn $6 million per season in the first two years of the contract, followed by $11 million in 2012-13, $11.3 million in the next two seasons, $11.6 million in 2015-16, $11.8 million in 2016-17, $10 million in 2018-19, $7 million in 2019-20, $4 million in 2020-21, $1 million in the next three seasons, $3 million in 2024-25, and $4 million in the final year of the deal in 2025-26.
Kovalchuk's annual cap hit will be $6,666,667 million, an increase over the $6 million cap hit from his initial contract.
If Kovalchuk's contract is rejected, it's believed he will spend next season in Russia and sign with a KHL club.
In 76 games with the Atlanta Thrashers and Devils last season, Kovalchuk registered 41 goals and 44 assists for 85 points.
Files from:
Sportsnet.ca
