But
on Thursday, Kovalchuk suddenly announced his retirement, walking away
from the nearly $77 million that remained on his contract to return to
Russia with his wife and three children.In a statement released by the
Devils and General Manager Lou Lamoriello, Kovalchuk said that he had
settled on his decision to return to Russia during the lockout, while
playing 36 games for SKA St. Petersburg of the K.H.L.“This decision was
something I have thought about for a long time going back to the lockout
and spending the year in Russia,” Kovalchuk said. “Though I decided to
return this past season, Lou was aware of my desire to go back home and
have my family there with me. The most difficult thing for me is to
leave the New Jersey Devils, a great organization that I have a lot of
respect for, and our fans that have been great to me.”In July 2010, the
Devils tried to sign him to a 17-year, $102 million deal, the biggest
commitment the Devils have made to a player. But the N.H.L. ruled that
the deal circumvented league regulations. The Devils were fined $3 Mens Polos for the best pricesmillion,
a third-round draft choice in 2011 and a first-round pick, which they
will forfeit in next year’s draft. The Devils then signed him to the
15-year deal. Long-term contracts like Kovalchuk’s were banned by the
league after the most recent lockout. Now the maximum contract length is
eight years.“After many conversations with Ilya over the past year on
his desire to retire from the National Hockey League, Ilya’s decision
became official today,” Lamoriello said in the statement. “On behalf of
the entire organization, I wish Ilya and his family all the best in
their future endeavors.”For the Devils, there is a financial bright side
to Kovalchuk’s departure. Now that his contract is void, the Devils
must pay him only $250,000 a year until 2024-25, the last year of the
deal.“Right now we just have to take a step back to go forward, and we
just have to evaluate what our options are and do the best we can,”
Lamoriello said later in a conference call.
“We’ll
be ready to play in September.”Kovalchuk may be leaving behind a lot of
money, but with SKA or another K.H.L. club he could make a salary
comparable to the $6.67 million a year he made on average with the
Devils. K.Wholesale Shorts cheap ShortsH.L. salaries for stars are similar to those in the N.H.L.Kovalchuk was unavailable for comment, and his North American agent,Wholesale Tracksuits cheap Tracksuits Jay
Grossman, did not return calls. Lamoriello said Kovalchuk told him
during the lockout about his thought process for staying in Russia, but
that there was no conversation on the subject when the season
started.Kovalchuk, a native of Tver who came up through Spartak Moscow’s
youth teams, has long been known for his enthusiasm for playing for
Russia. He has played in 13 tournaments for his country at the senior
level.At the end of the lockout in January,Lululemon Women's Pants Lamoriello
and the Devils allowed him to stay in Russia for a couple of days past
the start of training camp so he could play in the K.H.L. All-Star
Game.The Atlanta Thrashers made Kovalchuk the first overall selection in
the 2000 N.H.L. draft. He played with the Thrashers until he was traded
to the Devils on Feb. 4, 2010.In addition to 417 goals, he had 399
assists for 816 points in 816 games. Only Joe Thornton (939), Martin St.
Louis (852) and Jarome Iginla (839) scored more points over the past 11
years.canada goose jacket womenKovalchuk’s
playoff production, however, was limited. He scored 11 goals and 16
assists in 32 games. In 2012, when the Devils reached the Stanley Cup
finals, he played through injuries and had 8 goals and 11 assists in 23
games.
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