A can full of iced worms

By Scott Antoszewski

The arbitrator ruled in favor of the NHL this week and has voided the 17 year $102 million contract Kovalchuk signed with the New Jersey Devils. Kovalchuk is now a free agent again and can sign with any NHL team. The problem is not who wants him; it’s who can afford him.

He’s stated that he wants at least $10 million a season. The Thrashers offered him that last season and he flat turned them down. He’s not only looking for big bucks, but he wants them from a contender, which limits his options dramatically. The arbitrator ruling will prevent teams from offering a front loaded contract, so the question becomes who has the money to pay for a $10 million a year player who hasn’t led a team to victory or won anything of note himself. I believe that Ilya is in a real bind here. He’s going to have to lower his demands or face playing in the KHL next season, both of which may be a good thing for hockey fans.

The arbitrator’s decision has also opened up a whole new can of worms that the Players Association most likely never thought through. The collective bargaining agreement with the NHL has two clauses that state that the league can review any contract, even after it has been approved, and there is no time deadline for the review of any contract.

A player can be in year two or three of a ten year contract, and if the league chooses to review it and reject it, that player is going to be up the creek without a contract. I think the NHL has let these super long term deals go on for a few years to build up enough ammunition to enact these clauses and make the players pay. The NHL has apparently already started reviewing the contracts of Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo, Blackhawks winger Marian Hossa, and Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger. The league will use the Kovalchuk decision as its precedent because the arbitrator even went so far as to mention those three contracts by name in his decision on the Kovalchuk case.

Long story short, Kovalchuck is back on the market, and now any player who signed a mega deal in the past few years, has reason to sweat. Stay tuned, it looks like this is just getting good.

From the Penthouse to the Outhouse

By Scott Antoszewski

There isn’t usually a lot of notable trade action in the NHL offseason, but the deal that went down yesterday between the Blackhawks and the Thrashers was a big one. The Blackhawks have sent Dustin Byfuglien, Ben Eager, and Brent Sopel to the Atlanta Thrashers for veteran Marty Reasoner, a minor leaguer, a first round and second round draft pick in Friday’s draft.

Byfuglien, Eager, and Sopel were all critical players in Chicago’s Cup run, and now they are gone. I can’t imagine how these guys must be feeling. Heck, they haven’t even gotten their day with the Cup yet. They are going from a potential dynasty, to a team that may not even make it through next season in Atlanta. It’s strictly a result of the salary cap, and I’m sure the Hawks would have rather kept them, but big contracts for Toews, Kane, and Hossa have them up against the cap. Personally I feel bad for these guys, but they are professional athletes and I’m sure the big checks they will be getting from the Thrashers will help them get over the disappointment of the trade.

In other trade news, the Montreal Canadiens have sent goaltender Jaroslav Halak (no that isn’t a typo) to St. Louis for two players, both are young and neither are stars. Halak is up for a new contract and the Canadiens decided to go with Carey Price as their every day goalie instead of Halak, who carried the team to the third round of the playoffs. The Canadiens have always loved Price, but I have to say I’m not sure I agree with the decision that was made. Halak regularly outplayed Price during their time together in Montreal, but apparently the Montreal brass aren’t ready to give up on Price just yet.

The NHL Entry Draft is tomorrow (Friday) night from Staples Center in Los Angeles. Edmonton picks first followed by the Boston Bruins. Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin are projected to be the first two picks, and will probably be the only two players from this years’ draft that go straight to the NHL. I’m looking forward to see if there will be more “wheelin’ and dealin” at the draft. I’m off to New Jersey this weekend to try and get my hands on some game used Devils equipment. I’m looking forward to checking in with the Devils fan base.

Until next week…

A real life "Major League"

By Scott Antoszewski

It was about this time last year that Jerry Moyes was debating how he could get out from under the mountain of debt that was the Phoenix Coyotes. The team was terrible, in the middle of a rebuild that seemed to be going on forever. Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky was struggling as coach of the team, and no one was showing up at the games. The future of hockey in the Arizona desert looked bleak when the team entered bankruptcy court and Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie was in line to be the next owner.

Fast forward one year, and the Coyotes are now tied for the top spot in the Western Conference. Who saw this coming? Nobody! I was fortunate enough to see this team play the Caps in Washington earlier this year, and I knew then that they could be a playoff team. Ownership is still up in the air. The Coyotes are officially owned by the NHL, but there is a group that is going through the proper channels to take over the team. The Ice Edge group includes established MLB owner Jerry Reinsdorf. The team has re-worked its deal with the City of Glendale, helping the team make more money, and the fans are slowly starting to return.

The Coyotes aren’t doing this with a bunch of young kids, or a ton of high prices veteran talent, but they seemed to find that “spark” between youth and experience. The chemistry on this team is clicking. Although I doubt they have a cardboard cutout of the owner that they remove clothing from after each win. (see... Major League)

I’m willing to bet that Jobing.com arena will be rocking once the post season starts. This Phoenix team isn’t just a flash in the pan either. They have a farm system chocked full of young talent, almost ready to make their mark.

It looks like hockey is safe in the desert for the moment, so all the “non-traditional hockey market haters” can aim their venom at the Florida Panthers and Atlanta Thrashers. By the way, the Thrash are only one point out of a playoff spot, without Ilya Kovalchuck. The next few weeks should be very interesting.