NJ Devils slapped with big fine for sketchy deal

The NHL franchise will have to pay $3-million and forfeit two draft picks for their initial attempt to sign Ilya Kovalchuk.

The New Jersey Devils got creative in their pursuit of superstar Ilya Kovalchuk, offering him a 17-year, $100-million contract which he was likely too old to ever play out. Their goal was to circumvent the league’s salary cap, which limits how much a team can spend on player salaries each year. The NHL rejected that deal and has now come down hard on the team, forcing it to pay $3-million and give up a fourth round pick in next year’s draft and a first round pick in one of the next four drafts. Since the initial deal was rejected, the league has approved the Devil’s 15-year, $100-million offer for the Russian sniper.