Today is the deadline for the NHL Players Association’s expected filing of a grievance that would seek to reinstate the Devils’ $102 million, 17-year contract with Ilya Kovalchuk.
The NHL rejected the contract last Tuesday, claiming it circumvents the CBA’s salary cap regulations.
If the Players Association files a grievance, as expected, the case is supposed to be heard and decided in 48 hours by a “system arbitrator,” except there is no such person in place. The sides will have to agree on one promptly.
Should the Players Association elect not to grieve the rejected deal by 5 p.m., Kovalchuk will revert to unrestricted free agent status and be free to negotiate with any team, including the Devils.
Circumvention is a serious charge in the NHL, and if the Devils are ruled by an arbitrator to have committed that CBA transgression, they could face fines or other sanctions, even though it’s the Players Association which would file the grievance. Kovalchuk’s case is regarded as strong, but arbitration is never a certainty.