+1

Plus no need to get panty's all knotted up over UFA's, these teams/players are typically overhyped. The teams that overpay for UFA's generally don't do well vs. what they paid for them, and plus all of the term that was given up to mediocre-good players during this year's UFA is a bit mind blowing. I'm not counting our Garrison and Hamhuis UFA signings from years past because they took discounts to come here and were coming here anyways, so they weren't really your traditional 'listen to the most money free agents'

re: Lu not coming. Bryz is a headcase, but you also have to think about the defense playing in front of him too. He's a halfway decent goalie as he proved playing in Phoenix, he could be a decent stop gap until some other goalie options arrive. Philly also gave Bobrovsky away and a year later the kid wins a Vezina, playing for Columbus...

Bryz is a cancer in the room, just watch 24/7 and tell me you want that guy anywhere near your team
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It's good to see the young guys like Horvat and Gaunce competing hard for a roster spot on the team. Who knows, one of these guys could be our third line centre.

Bo knows work. -like to see the see strong work ethic and competitive attitude in him and in his family. A future Beast on the Canucks?

Bo knows: Horvat out to prove he belongs with Canucks

And of course 24/7 accurately depicts 100% what goes on in the room, not for our entertainment value at all. We brought in a great 24/7 performer in Torts already, why not add another one

I'm not saying I'd love to have Bryz, but I'd take Bryz over Thomas :D

Kovalchuk has retired:

If he becomes anywhere close to a Kesler type player and we have Kesler on our team. :fullofwin: You add Gaunce to that? :fullofwin: Say in a few years you have them developed + Kesler & Henrik at 50% strength. :fullofwin::fullofwin::fullofwin:

Fuck I sound like CDC...lol

I'm actually shocked Kovy is retiring. Has one of the best wrist shots and releases in the game, always nice watching him. Will be interesting to see his reasoning. Probably back to the KHL and with his family in Russia.

On another note, NJ as an organization is such a mess. On the hook for Kovalchuk's cap hit + still have to give up the first rounder.

What happens to his contract? Is NJ still on the hook cap wise? I wonder how much of his deal was just bonuses?

This is Kovalchuk's big FUCK YOU NHL

cuz he couldn't sign his first deal with the devils
ultimately puts the devils in a fucked up space

@blakeprice1040: Current penalties incurred by the Devils for their Kovalchuk relationship is 250k cap hit till 2025 & no 1st rd pick '14

That's a huge hole to plug in their top 3 for NJ. Their forward group is looking pretty thin.

It's official now. Good pickup, the guy should do wonders for developing our young prospects. He's had great success with Portland.

250k cap hit

THAT'LL SHOW THEM!
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Kovalchuk retiring is shocking, seems like a prank still, especially since he was going to make $11 mil for the next 4 years and given that it's an Olympic year in his home country.

Got to wonder if there is some pressing personal or family issue that is behind this decision.

never liked Kovalchuk. He comes off as a lazy not give a shit player and only in it for the money.

probably bouncing to the KHL, where he will make even more (and tax free?)

250k is relatively insignificant on the cap books. so all is well in that regard

and lol their foward group. No parise, no kovy, not even clarkson

I don't know if KHL could accept him because of their agreement with the NHL
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THE 2014 first round pick is a big loss

@Nichols_NHLPool 1m
Most likely Ilya Kovalchuk will play for SKA in #KHL, per @dchesnokov, who is also told major announcement will come very soon. #NJDevils

Haha, doesn't seem like JR is very happy.

The Devils only saved 3M on his actual salary vs. caphit thanks to the shortened season, so the recapture penalty of 250k/yr is not significant even though it goes on until the end of his contract (2025). Had he played another 2-4 years before 'retiring', then the cap implications are much greater.

There's got to be more to it than just Kovy wanting to go back to the motherland, you don't sign a 15yr contract only to walk away from all that money after only half a season of actually getting paid--doesn't fit the in it for the money mold. I'm not sure how financially stable the Devils are as an organization, part of me thinks they couldn't actually afford him and encouraged him to leave now since the cap implications will be more or less nothing as compared to in a few years.

Haha, JR and his 'analysis'. He's actually wrong too, Kovy didn't get 11M this past season because the pay was prorated to the shortened season. So he actually 'stole' less than 23M, maybe only 19M :)

The devils are also broke

Lol Kovalchuk is definitely helping the stereotype
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I don't get why his recapture penalty is only $250K when Lu's would be like $3M+


NJD surrendered prospects and picks to trade for him, 1st and 3rd rounder for cap circumvention penalty and $250K cap hit until 2025. No parise and perhaps clarkson as well.
Yikes.