Kovalchuk Announces His Retirement

[Frank E]

I really don't have a problem with the guy doing this because yeah it's a business and you can walk away whenever you want... but hey, if it was my team losing it's best player I'd be pretty upset with him.

To me it looks the worst on NJ, the owner in particular, who went through all they did to build that contract, got penalized for writing a deal that circumvented the CBA including losing a 1st round pick, etc etc, and now the player they did this for has walked away.

Opting not to give up the pick when it was 29th overall after they made the cup final was another questionable decision. Their 2014 1st rounder will now have to be forfeited, and it could be a high pick.

Holy. I didn't even realize they kept that pick. I just assumed they let that one go.  Wow.

If that is the case, that is an extreme lack of proper asset management.

 

[Corn Flake]

I really don't have a problem with the guy doing this because yeah it's a business and you can walk away whenever you want... but hey, if it was my team losing it's best player I'd be pretty upset with him.

To me it looks the worst on NJ, the owner in particular, who went through all they did to build that contract, got penalized for writing a deal that circumvented the CBA including losing a 1st round pick, etc etc, and now the player they did this for has walked away.

Opting not to give up the pick when it was 29th overall after they made the cup final was another questionable decision. Their 2014 1st rounder will now have to be forfeited, and it could be a high pick.

Holy. I didn't even realize they kept that pick. I just assumed they let that one go.  Wow.

I think it was busta who mentioned this earlier, but the rumour at the time was that New Jersey thought they had more time to decide what to do with the pick. The deadline passed and they hadn't told the league anything so they automatically kept it.

Double whups.

 

[BrownRolo]

2013-2014 $11.3 million
2014-2015 $11.3 million
2015-2016 $11.6 million
2016-2017 $11.8 million
2017-2018 $10 million

That's what Kovalchuk gave up by retiring now. If he had retired in 2018 the Devils' penalty would have been $4.3 million a year. He did the Devils' a huge favour by retiring now.

 

[Heroic Shrimp]

I really don't have a problem with the guy doing this because yeah it's a business and you can walk away whenever you want... but hey, if it was my team losing it's best player I'd be pretty upset with him.

To me it looks the worst on NJ, the owner in particular, who went through all they did to build that contract, got penalized for writing a deal that circumvented the CBA including losing a 1st round pick, etc etc, and now the player they did this for has walked away.

Opting not to give up the pick when it was 29th overall after they made the cup final was another questionable decision. Their 2014 1st rounder will now have to be forfeited, and it could be a high pick.

Holy. I didn't even realize they kept that pick. I just assumed they let that one go.  Wow.

I think it was busta who mentioned this earlier, but the rumour at the time was that New Jersey thought they had more time to decide what to do with the pick. The deadline passed and they hadn't told the league anything so they automatically kept it.

Please let it end up being the 1st overall pick.  Man, that controversy and uproar would dwarf the controversy (and whatever remains of it, if much) of the Leafs giving up the 2nd overall pick in the Kessel trade.

 

[Heroic Shrimp]

Kovalchuk would have been a certain Hall of Famer, but between cutting his NHL career short and possibly/likely snubbing the NHL for the KHL, I think there's pretty much no chance of the HOF for him now.  Not that he likely cares all that much.

Probably. It'll be interesting to see how the HHOF looks at the KHL. I mean enough people have made the "It's not the NHL HOF" point before but the KHL is pretty clearly a lesser league so you're probably right in assuming that they won't take it too seriously.

That said Kovalchuk, as you say, has sort of firmly established that he's a HOF calibre player so...I don't know. I think he could make it.

Really, he should make it regardless, not that that means much.  Assuming he plays in the KHL for some time, it'll be years before he'd even be HoF eligible, and who knows how relations between the NHL and KHL evolve between now and then.  But given how NHL-centric the HoF committee tends to be and will likely remain, and how resentful or dismissive the HoF board might likely be to the KHL in the future, I think Kovalchuk is suddenly very doubtful for the Hall.  But who knows...

 

[Kin]

Really, he should make it regardless, not that that means much.  Assuming he plays in the KHL for some time, it'll be years before he'd even be HoF eligible, and who knows how relations between the NHL and KHL evolve between now and then.  But given how NHL-centric the HoF committee tends to be and will likely remain, and how resentful or dismissive the HoF board might likely be to the KHL in the future, I think Kovalchuk is suddenly very doubtful for the Hall.  But who knows...

No. Although given how mercurial and baffling the HHOF selection committee can be I'd extend what you said about him not caring to him being pretty well justified in not caring.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Kovalchuk would have been a certain Hall of Famer, but between cutting his NHL career short and possibly/likely snubbing the NHL for the KHL, I think there's pretty much no chance of the HOF for him now.  Not that he likely cares all that much.

Probably. It'll be interesting to see how the HHOF looks at the KHL. I mean enough people have made the "It's not the NHL HOF" point before but the KHL is pretty clearly a lesser league so you're probably right in assuming that they won't take it too seriously.

That said Kovalchuk, as you say, has sort of firmly established that he's a HOF calibre player so...I don't know. I think he could make it.

I think his performance in international tournaments will be more of a deciding factor in that decision from this point on. Like you said, they are going to view the KHL as a lesser league but if he dominates in best-on-best competitions it's going to be hard to keep him out. And with probably two more Olympic games in his career he'll at least have the opportunity to make his case.

 

[Heroic Shrimp]

Kovalchuk would have been a certain Hall of Famer, but between cutting his NHL career short and possibly/likely snubbing the NHL for the KHL, I think there's pretty much no chance of the HOF for him now.  Not that he likely cares all that much.

Probably. It'll be interesting to see how the HHOF looks at the KHL. I mean enough people have made the "It's not the NHL HOF" point before but the KHL is pretty clearly a lesser league so you're probably right in assuming that they won't take it too seriously.

That said Kovalchuk, as you say, has sort of firmly established that he's a HOF calibre player so...I don't know. I think he could make it.

I think his performance in international tournaments will be more of a deciding factor in that decision from this point on. Like you said, they are going to view the KHL as a lesser league but if he dominates in best-on-best competitions it's going to be hard to keep him out. And with probably two more Olympic games in his career he'll at least have the opportunity to make his case.

All true, for sure, I hadn't much considered that.  For that matter, too, just having his name out there for international tournaments will help to keep him from become a forgotten figure in hockey in North America.

 

[Sudafederov]

Just thought I'd repost this in case anybody wanted to read about a theory as to why the Devils went all out to sign Kovalchuk in the first place  (2010)

"Some of Vanderbeek's fellow owners believe he is looking to sell the franchise, according to two NHL sources. Both sources said Vanderbeek made a strong pitch last summer to Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, who owns the New Jersey Nets of the NBA. Re-signing Kovalchuk, a Russian, was core to the pitch."

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/devils-down-on-their-luck/article1836349/

In addition, I also thought this comment from Lou was pretty telling at the time

So why would he sign Kovalchuk to such a deal?.

?You?d have to speak to ownership about that,? Lamoriello said. ?The commitment that ownership has made here, this is a commitment and a decision they wanted to make for this type of a player and all I can do is say whether the player is a player that will fit into the team, can help the team and is not a risk as a player. As far as what the financial commitment is and that aspect of it, that was out of my hands.?

http://blogs.northjersey.com/blogs/fireice/lou_lamoriello_admits_kovalchuk_contract_shouldnt_be_part_of_nhl1/

 

[Jalili]

Kovalchuk would have been a certain Hall of Famer, but between cutting his NHL career short and possibly/likely snubbing the NHL for the KHL, I think there's pretty much no chance of the HOF for him now.  Not that he likely cares all that much.

Probably. It'll be interesting to see how the HHOF looks at the KHL. I mean enough people have made the "It's not the NHL HOF" point before but the KHL is pretty clearly a lesser league so you're probably right in assuming that they won't take it too seriously.

That said Kovalchuk, as you say, has sort of firmly established that he's a HOF calibre player so...I don't know. I think he could make it.

Really, he should make it regardless, not that that means much.  Assuming he plays in the KHL for some time, it'll be years before he'd even be HoF eligible, and who knows how relations between the NHL and KHL evolve between now and then.  But given how NHL-centric the HoF committee tends to be and will likely remain, and how resentful or dismissive the HoF board might likely be to the KHL in the future, I think Kovalchuk is suddenly very doubtful for the Hall.  But who knows...

I agree. Sentimentality aside, a big part of his legacy will be as a quitter, and that's going to hurt his chances a lot.

 

[hockeyfan1]

Seems like being in Russia during the time of the lockout cystallized Kovalchuk's desire to stay and play there.  Apparently, forfeiting a huge chunk ($77M) of his salary was not a deterrent to his changing his mind.  His decision was probably more based on  culture/tradition (family).

It's in a way a win-win for both Kovalchuk (he still made a financial windfall in spite of a huge cut in pay) and for New Jersey in that they save big on his salary -- $300,000 over 12 years is their payout (cap hit).

Good luck in Russia, Ilya!

 

[Bullfrog]

I agree. Sentimentality aside, a big part of his legacy will be as a quitter, and that's going to hurt his chances a lot.

And that's a real shame, because it's not a fair assessment of Kovalchuk. Being labeled a quitter, to me, means that he gave up on something when the going got tough. It's hard to describe, but I just don't see retirement from the NHL in that way. He retired during the off season and it seems like it's more for a change in scenery not because he couldn't handle it.

 

[Deebo]

Seems like being in Russia during the time of the lockout cystallized Kovalchuk's desire to stay and play there.  Apparently, forfeiting a huge chunk ($77M) of his salary was not a deterrent to his changing his mind.  His decision was probably more based on  culture/tradition (family).

It's in a way a win-win for both Kovalchuk (he still made a financial windfall in spite of a huge cut in pay) and for New Jersey in that they save big on his salary -- $300,000 over 12 years is their payout (cap hit).

Good luck in Russia, Ilya!

250k a year for 12 years cap hit, I'm pretty sure they don't have to pay that out though.

 

[maplesyrup]

I'm probably more sympathetic towards Kovalchuk than most. I just can't blame a guy for making a family oriented decision. Yeah, it will most likely leave a bad taste in most people's mouths but to be fair to the player, he probably knew that going in which likely made the decision all the more difficult. I can't say I have any less respect for the guy than I did last week to be honest.

EDIT: I don't like the timing though.  :-\ 

 

[Andy007]

I'm probably more sympathetic towards Kovalchuk than most. I just can't blame a guy for making a family oriented decision. Yeah, it will most likely leave a bad taste in most people's mouths but to be fair to the player, he probably knew that going in which likely made the decision all the more difficult. I can't say I have any less respect for the guy than I did last week to be honest.

EDIT: I don't like the timing though.  :-\

But is that really true? The guy is going back to Russia to play in a league where he will probably double his annual salary. Moreover, nobody held a gun to his head and told him to sign a huge, long term NHL contract. I'm actually surprised so many people on here are defending the guy; this is a pretty selfish, spineless move if you ask me.

 

[Mot the Barber]

I'm probably more sympathetic towards Kovalchuk than most. I just can't blame a guy for making a family oriented decision. Yeah, it will most likely leave a bad taste in most people's mouths but to be fair to the player, he probably knew that going in which likely made the decision all the more difficult. I can't say I have any less respect for the guy than I did last week to be honest.

EDIT: I don't like the timing though.  :-\

But is that really true? The guy is going back to Russia to play in a league where he will probably double his annual salary. Moreover, nobody held a gun to his head and told him to sign a huge, long term NHL contract. I'm actually surprised so many people on here are defending the guy; this is a pretty selfish, spineless move if you ask me.

Would you feel that way if he retired from the KHL to play in the NHL?  Probably not, you'd welcome him with open arms.  I think your feelings are hurt because he quit "your" league to go play for that "rival" league.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

I'm probably more sympathetic towards Kovalchuk than most. I just can't blame a guy for making a family oriented decision. Yeah, it will most likely leave a bad taste in most people's mouths but to be fair to the player, he probably knew that going in which likely made the decision all the more difficult. I can't say I have any less respect for the guy than I did last week to be honest.

EDIT: I don't like the timing though.  :-\

But is that really true? The guy is going back to Russia to play in a league where he will probably double his annual salary. Moreover, nobody held a gun to his head and told him to sign a huge, long term NHL contract. I'm actually surprised so many people on here are defending the guy; this is a pretty selfish, spineless move if you ask me.

How is it any more spineless than an NHL team buying a player out?  Nobody held a gun to their heads to sign those contracts either.

 

[maplesyrup]

But is that really true?

By most accounts, yes. He just simply wanted to be at home. If the KHL made that financially possible for him, all the better.

 

[Andy007]

I'm probably more sympathetic towards Kovalchuk than most. I just can't blame a guy for making a family oriented decision. Yeah, it will most likely leave a bad taste in most people's mouths but to be fair to the player, he probably knew that going in which likely made the decision all the more difficult. I can't say I have any less respect for the guy than I did last week to be honest.

EDIT: I don't like the timing though.  :-\

But is that really true? The guy is going back to Russia to play in a league where he will probably double his annual salary. Moreover, nobody held a gun to his head and told him to sign a huge, long term NHL contract. I'm actually surprised so many people on here are defending the guy; this is a pretty selfish, spineless move if you ask me.

Would you feel that way if he retired from the KHL to play in the NHL?  Probably not, you'd welcome him with open arms.  I think your feelings are hurt because he quit "your" league to go play for that "rival" league.

Nope because I can't stand Kovalchuck. This dates back to the WJC where he was just an embarassment on the ice. But hey, I'm not mad at the guy, I just think he is taking an easy way out to go make more money and play against inferior opponents. KHL isn't a rival league because it doesn't come near the talent level of the NHL. Kovalchuck is a world class talent taking a paycheque to play in a lesser league. I would feel the same way if Jose Bautista left to play in the Dominican for 20 Million a year, too.

 

[Leafaholic99]

I feel bad for the Devils in this situation, they paid a price in players/prospects/picks to get this guy, who at the time he wanted to come to the Devils as he signed a contract extension. The Devils thought they were getting him long term and paid the price to get him. Ilya signed the contract at a young age too and is only 30 right now, for him to retire from the NHL to go home, after he agreed to be in the NHL for quite a while longer, is selfish.

That said, if he does have some health issues, that being back home would benefit him in what ever those issues are, its not as bad, you can't really plan for health issues.