The NHLPA is expected to file a grievance over the Ilya Kovalchuk deal against the NHL today, which, in turn, should get the ball rolling on finding a resolution for the Kovalchuk deal. When the NHL pulled the plug on the Kovalchuk deal (17-years, $102 million), many believed it was just a matter of time before the NHLPA filed a grievance, so, the fact they will do so today is hardly a surprise. It is widely believed that, despite the language in the CBA, that the NHL had no right to stick their nose into the Kovalchuk contract, especially in light of some of the past deals that were accepted such as the Rick DiPietro deal, Henrik Zetterberg, Marian Hossa, etc. Once the grievance is filed it should put into motion what could emerge as a long and drawn out

As a summer of surprises around the NHL rolls on, the Carolina Hurricanes have begun to quietly fill out their roster. All of the Hurricanes’ restricted free agents heading into the offseason have been signed. In addition, 15 players have been inked to one-way contracts for the upcoming season. However, with nearly $12 million left in cap space, Carolina has plenty of room to fill the remaining holes in their depth chart. Many of the new-look Hurricanes players are also younger than those who were starting in their places last season. Carolina has moved up from the second-oldest team in summer 2009 to the seventh-youngest team in the NHL today. Additionally, only four contract holders for the ‘Canes are above the age of 30 (Erik Cole, Sergei Samsanov, Tom Kostopoulos, and Joe Corvo). This plethora of prospects translates into a

The 2009-10 NHL season saw a lot of otherwise unknown goaltenders establish themselves as the go-to netminders for their respective teams. Jonathan Quick in Los Angeles, Michael Leighton in Philadelphia and Jimmy Howard in Detroit all had excellent seasons, followed by more than respectable playoff runs. With the 2010-11 season just a few months away, many NHL netminders will be looking to duplicate or surpass their 2009 success, with others trying to re-establish themselves as the number one crease beast. With that in mind, let’s take a look at 12 NHL goalies that must step up their play in order to have a successful 2010-11 season. Michael Leighton: Philadelphia Flyers Picked up on waivers by the Philadelphia Flyers late in the 2009-10 season; Michael Leighton had a very successful run with the Flyers, including a run to the Stanley Cup

Despite all the whining coming from New Jersey Devils fans, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and the NHL were completely within their rights to deem Ilya Kovalchuk’s 17-year, $102 million contract null and void. While on the surface Kovalchuk’s deal is not much different than the likes of Rick Dipietro, Roberto Luongo or Alex Ovechkin’s contract, the fact remains that given how little Kovalchuk was meant to earn over the final years of his contract made the contract a joke, which is why the NHL gave it the boot. Lost in all the Kovalchuk chatter is the fact that if Kovalchuk was to retire before his 17-year deal expired (which many suggest he would) whatever amount remained on his contract would NOT count against the salary cap. The NHLPA and the players themselves are sure to get their collars up about

  I realize that this process of re-building the third and fourth lines is not complete, as that will not be finished until the season actually begins, but the signings of some of these players is puzzling

Just when you thought the Ilya Kovalchuk saga was over… here we go again! With the 17-year, $102 million deal between the New Jersey Devils and unrestricted free agent super star Ilya Kovalchuk being thrown in the toilet, many Devils fans are wondering what Kovalchuk’s future will be with the club? It appears as if the NHL rejected the contract on the premise that the contract itself circumvents the NHL’s salary cap. The NHL wasn’t buying that Kovalchuk had any intention of fulfilling the final years of his contract. Rather, the NHL felt that either the New Jersey Devils would buyout the highly talented Russian or Kovalchuk would opt to retire. The NHL believes that the Devils and Kovalchuk had some sort of agreement in place. If not, that the optics of the deal were so poor that it would be impossible