The 10 Million Dollar Man...By Default?


Not wanting to stir the pot too much...oh, who am I kidding? Let's be honest, all this talk over Kovalchuk's fantastic contract and all the possibly harmful ramifications it may hold for the future of the CBA seems to be getting a tad bit out of hand.

Let's put a little perspective on the situation.

What if Ovechkin and Crosby were UFA's this summer?

How would that figure into Ilya's plans to be the 100 Million Dollar man?

By virtue of the fact that all of the highly talented forwards destined to become UFA's were locked up well before free agency opened, it would truly seem that Kovalchuk's demands could be whatever he wanted them to be.

The reality of the market has left Kovalchuk in an extremely unique situation, yet I wonder if it hasn't hurt him to a certain extent?

Being the sole elite talent available on the market may have allowed him to seek the largest payout available under the conditions of the CBA, but is he really worth that?

Furthermore, if other stars like Sid and OV were in the mix, it's highly unlikely that Ilya would be able to command the salary he is interested in, but then again, that is not the case. (Yet, if it were, perhaps it would have helped to open Kovalchuk up to more suitors?)

Now, with a rejected contract worth of $100 million dollars being re-worked, you have to wonder if Ilya wouldn't have done much better in a more saturated market?

He's not the best player in the NHL, but he is by far the best available on the market.

It's a conundrum and a CBA dilemma that is slowly beginning to emerge.

If the cap keeps going up, then will the best players in the league be the ones making the most money, or will it be a system that rewards players based on cap ratio and UFA eligibility?

The fact that the long-term contracts are the root of this problem tells us all we need to know. They will be the centerpiece and sole item that will resolve the course of this league. Like the leak in the Gulf, someone is going to have to cap these contracts and stop the bleeding.

I love the creativity of the capologists and management who are trying to reward player loyalty and create cap freedom, but the integrity of these front-loaded deals is killed by their over-extended length, especially those contract years that extend beyond 35.

These deals are getting a little out of control, but how do we control them?

If OV is $9.3M a year and Crosby is $8.7M, how does Kovalchuk work out to a cap hit below that of Mikko Koivu?

There is definitely a need to establish a better system to organize the values of these contracts, but we're not there yet. Otherwise these issues would have been taken care of a long time ago.

Again, I appreciate the Devils' attempts to make it work, but in comparison to Sid and OV's contracts, I can see where the NHL would appreciate Kovalchuk's cap hit being in the $7 million range.

It's a confusing and twisted world this post-CBA era of contracts and increasing revenues and salary caps. It's become a game within a game where GM's are trying to land the best players for the cheapest price yet usually wind up over-paying because of bidding wars and market size.

In the end, it's simply a nuisance.

Kovalchuk should fit nicely right behind Ovechkin and Crosby, but not behind Koivu and Gaborik.

This nuisance should be addressed in the near future because the longer it goes on, the worse these rumours of another lockout will become.

The league and PA know they can't afford another year of destroying the game so there is no better time than the present to begin their efforts to amend the CBA and to start refurbishing it for the betterment of the NHL.

The publicity and attention being drawn by the rejection of Kovalchuk's contract will eventually be dealt with, but it also serves as an excellent point to begin the job of revamping the regulations regarding contracts. It will go a long way in keeping the integrity of the system they established 5 years ago and the progress they have worked so hard to achieve.

The first step in fixing this problem is for the Kovalchuk contract to be resolved. Once that has been taken care of, expect some very pro-active efforts internally by the league and Union/PA to repair the damage in time for the CBA renewal in September, 2012.









www.twitter.com/StevenHindle
steven.hindle@hockeybuzz.com
capitalshockeybuzz@live.ca
Go Caps!!!!!

Join the Discussion: Chat Room » Message Board »

» Evaluating Alex Semin: Part 1 - Elite LW or Not?

» The NHL's Top Goal Scorers Since the Lockout(Year by Year)

» The "X" Factor

» On Mitchell, Belanger & More...

» Deal or No Deal? On Eric Belanger, Flash and The Need For a Defenseman