New Jersey Devils fans can breathe a sigh of relief Monday as Ilya Kovalchuk has finally made up his mind and re-signed with the team. No details have been released yet but the confirmation of the signing comes from the official team Twitter account with a press release to take place tomorrow.
Kovalchuk was acquired prior to the 2009-10 trade deadline and proceeded to put up 10 goals and 17 assists in 27 games – slightly sub-par compared to the Kovalchuk we are used to. Fortunately, Kovalchuk has the offensive weapons to succeed in Jersey and we’re expecting a brighter fantasy outlook for 2010-11 as he builds more chemistry with his teammates.
Expect to hear more free agent signings unfold this week as many teams (especially with the Kings as they are the apparent losers of the Kovalchuk sweepstakes) were waiting to see Kovalchuk’s decision before making moves for their own.
UPDATE: Details were released on the deal: 17 years and $6-million cap hit. This kind of deal gives Zach Parise some major leverage when his contract talks take place at the end of the year.
