So, Kovalchuk will earn $6 mil each of the next two seasons, $11.5 mil for the following five seasons, $10.5 million in the 2017-18 season, $8.5 mil for the 2018-19 season, $6.5 mil in 2019-20, $3.5 mil in 2020-21, $750,000 the following season and $550,000 for the final 5 years, he will remain on the books through the 2026-27 season. Ridiculous.
27 years old + 17 years…7+7 = 14, carry the 1…3+1 = 4…yep, he’ll be 44 years old when this contract is up – but don’t be fooled. The brilliance of the NHL & their collective bargaining agreement shines once again as yet another superstar inks a front-loaded contract & exploits the salary cap rules. The CBA says that cap hits are determined by the average salary over the duration of the deal, which means teams can sign superstars under these terms & pay them, say, $10 million for the first few years yet only have a portion count against the cap. Towards the end of the deal, the final couple of years could be something like $1 million per – so when Kovalchuk is closing in on 40, this will allow the Devils to buy him out and save themselves the next 5 years of the $6 million/year hit. Win/win. Kovalchuk gets paid, Devils get one of the top wings in the game while leaving enough room on the books to put together a Cup team.