NHLPA files grievance on behalf of Kovalchuk

Hockey Betting Lines

07/26/2010 - Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ilya Kovalchuk's free agency saga took another turn on Monday when the NHL Players' Association filed a grievance on behalf of the Russian superstar who had his 17-year, $102 million contract with New Jersey rejected by the league.

"The NHLPA has filed a grievance disputing the NHL's rejection of the standard player contract between the New Jersey Devils and Ilya Kovalchuk," the NHLPA said in a statement. "Under the terms of the CBA, the NHLPA and Mr. Kovalchuk are entitled to an expedited resolution of this matter. The NHLPA will have no further comment until this matter has been resolved by an arbitrator."

The NHL rejected the record deal last week on grounds that it circumvented the league's salary cap. The rejection was likely due to the way the deal is structured, which was previously reported by the Newark Star-Ledger. He was due to earn $6 million in each of the next two seasons, $11.5 million from 2012-17 and $10.5 million the following year. The salary was scheduled to fall off after that until he made $550,000 annually in the final five years of the deal. He would have been 44 years old when the contract was set to conclude in 2027.

The way the current collective bargaining agreement is structured, a player who signs a deal before the age of 35 can eventually retire and have his contract come off a team's salary cap; however, teams must negotiate in a good faith effort to have the player remain in the league for the duration of the contract. It appears the Devils frontloaded the deal so Kovalchuk could have earned as much money as possible while providing the lowest possible cap hit for the team.

The next step in the process is to find an arbitrator to rule on the case. Once selected, that individual will have 48 hours to decide on an outcome. Kovalchuk will either have his contract with New Jersey upheld or he will once again become an unrestricted free agent, allowing the 27-year-old left winger to sign with any team, should the arbitrator side with the NHL.

Similar investigations were also launched last offseason for Philadelphia's Chris Pronger and Chicago's Marian Hossa, but the league did not void either of those contracts. Pronger signed a seven-year extension worth $35 million, where he makes $525,000 in each of the final two seasons, while Hossa makes $1 million or less in each of the final four years of his 12-year, $62 million deal.

Kovalchuk registered 41 goals and 44 assists in 76 games split between Atlanta and New Jersey last season.

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MySportsbook.com: NBA Championship Odds

With the playoffs about two months away, the top two teams in the Western Conference are the clear cut leaders to win the NBA Championship. The Dallas Mavericks have the best record in the NBA (44-9) and have been absolutely scorching since the second week of the season.  What makes the Mavs’ record more impressive is the fact that they dropped their first four games of the season.  Currently they have won 17 out of their last 18 and are MySportsbook.com’s favorite (2-1) to win it all.  Right behind the Mavs are the Pacific leading Phoenix Suns (39-13).  Last season, the Suns lost in the Conference Finals to non-other then the Mavericks four games to two.  Of course the Suns were without center Amare Stoudemire who has is averaging 19.9 PPG and 9.5 RPG since coming back from his knee injury.  Unlike the Mavs, the Suns have struggled a bit lately having lost their last three and four out of their last seven.  Of course the main reason for their three straight loses is due to the absence of two time MVP Steve Nash, who is out with a shoulder injury.  Heads-up, the Mavs have beaten the Suns in both of their meetings this season.

In the Eastern Conference, the Pistons (32-19) are the favorites to win it all at 6-1. The addition of Chris Webber seems to have been a good move for the Pistons.  Since coming over from the 76ers, Webber has averaged 13.1 PPG and 7.3 RPG and the Pistons are 11-4.  Even though the defending champion Heat are currently on the playoff making cusp, they are the Eastern Conference team that is getting the most action to win it all (9-1).  The fact that Shaquille O’Neal is back in the starting lineup after missing 39 games probably has something to do with this.  No doubt, Shaq makes a difference when in the lineup as their winning six out of their last seven would indicate.

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MySportsbook.com’s NBA Championship odds:

Atlanta Hawks 1000-1

Boston Celtics 5000-1

Charlotte Bobcats 5000-1

Chicago Bulls 20-1

Cleveland Cavaliers 20-1

Dallas Mavericks 2-1

Denver Nuggets 25-1

Detroit Pistons 6-1

Golden State Warriors 250-1

Houston Rockets 12-1

Indiana Pacers 60-1

Los Angeles Clippers 45-1

Memphis Grizzlies 5000-1

Miami Heat 9-1

Milwaukee Bucks 1000-1

Minnesota T-Wolves 200-1

New Jersey Nets 50-1

New Orleans Hornets 150-1

New York Knicks 150-1

Orlando Magic 75-1

Philadelphia 76ers 1000-1

Phoenix Suns 5-2

Portland TrailBlazers 1000-1

Sacramento Kings 250-1

San Antonio Spurs 9-1

Seattle Sonics 5000-1

Toronto Raptors 35-1

Utah Jazz 20-1

Washington Wizards 25-1

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