At least Kovy can say he’s done something that Ovechkin hasn’t!

There won’t be a “next lockout”. Lacking a new agreement, the owners will continue under the terms of this CBA and force the players to decide if they wish to strike. Given the state of the union right now, that likely wont happen either.

We are, however, seeing the cards being dealt for the next negotiations. The players want the Sochi games, the owners want to close this loop hole. The players want additional revenue sharing, etc. Which cards get played, and which get held? That will be the real story of the 2012 negotiations.

50.7 "100 Percent Rule" for Multi-Year SPCs. The difference between the stated Player Salary and Bonuses in the first two League Years of an SPC cannot exceed the amount of the lower of the two League Years. Thereafter, in all subsequent League Years of the SPC, (i) any increase in Player Salary and Bonuses from one League Year to another may not exceed the amount of the lower of the first two League Years of the SPC (or, if such amounts are the same, that same amount); and (ii) any decrease in Player Salary and Bonuses from one League Year to another may not exceed 50 percent of the Player Salary and Bonuses of the lower of the first two League Years of the SPC (or, if such amounts are the same, 50 percent of that same amount).

That last bit means the most it can drop is $3 million (since his first two years were $6 million). That part is legal. The intent of the term is going to be the question.

2010-11: $6 million
2011-12: $6 million
2012-13: $11.5 million
2013-14: $11.5 million
2014-15: $11.5 million
2015-16: $11.5 million
2016-17: $11.5 million
2017-18: $10.5 million
2018-19: $8.5 million
2019-20: $6.5 million
2020-21: $3.5 Million
2021-22: $750,000
2022-23: $550,000
2023-24: $550,000
2024-25: $550,000
2025-26: $550,000
2026-27: $550,000

There is a tremendous difference between 42 and 44… if a player is unlikely to play to 42, but likely to play to 40, that’s 2 years that are circumventing the cap. But at 44, that’s 4 years they are using to circumvent the cap. If this deal ended at 40, it’d be a $7.67m cap hit. At 42, it’s a $6.73m cap hit. At 44, it’s a $6m cap hit.

How is that not circumvention?

I bet Gary Bettman’s been rehearsing this speech in the mirror.

That’s what I’m thinking. It’s like a parent being pushed to the limit just one too many times and finally said “I’m done, we are going over the rules again and you will follow them. End of story.”

that if was one the NHL’s more favored franchises (Pens, Wings), this would be a non-issue. And how do they decide what the finite age is that a player can’t play beyond? Can Bettman foresee into the future that Kovalchuk is going suffer a career-ending injury at 37? It’s much more likely that Kovy plays to 44 than it is Luongo will make it to 42, given his position and injury history. I think it’s quite wrong to set a precedent and then suddenly revoke something that follows that precedent.

Kypreos is now reporting that Bettman warned Lou on Monday. Maybe that’s why Lou started being all mopey on deals of this type, like a pre-emptive strike on disappointment.

Great points RAL. There are a ton of new problems that the Kovy contract raises, and I really don’t think it’s fair to say any other contract is similar.

Not only that it is 17-years long, but that it would mean Kovalchuk will have played 27 major professional seasons if he honoured that deal. Outside of Gordie Howe, has any player ever come close to that?

The facts are, nobody plays to age 44. Nobody plays 27 years of top level hockey, and the last seven years of this deal are specifically designed to cheat the cap. Hossa’s deal should have been nixed as well, but when you get down to it, that deal was only two-thirds the length of this one, had half the cheat years in the deal, and those cheat years pay Hossa twice as much.

Deals like Kiprusoff’s inched across the line. Hossa and Luongo jumped over the line. But this one shot past it in a rocket. Frankly, the Devils should be facing that $1-5 million fine over this in addition to having the contract voided.

And, of course, Alan Walsh is busy spoiling his diaper on Twitter. He knew what he was doing and he knew he was cheating the system. Good on the NHL for finally having the courage to stand up to one of these cap circumvention deals.