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"Counting all the assholes in the room, I'm definitely not alone!" ~ Michael Poulsen, Volbeat, Still Standing.

What a whackjob

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Hold my beer and watch this...

Retired as a 30-year-old, wow....The devils got lucky, getting rid of the contract without spending a $.

I bet he will play in Russia though.

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Oh they'll still have to pay money, who knows how much. Plus they lose their first round draft pick next season.

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I forgot how frontloaded the contract was, that sucks for the Devils. I don't think they have to pay him anything if he retires (no injury).

Didn't know the Devils gave up their 2014 pick for him, that sucks for only 3 years.

I'm a bit confused that NHL contracts allow the players to retire and play in the KHL (I bet he wouldn't have retired if he couldn't play in the KHL)

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Nope. He retired of his own accord. They owe him nothing. He's leaving $77 million on the table.

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Girgensons for captain. Team Keep Nick DesLauriers forever.

@TJLuckman550

Yeah, he can "retire" and just walk and the contract is over.
Curiously, NJ could use the contract to keep him out of the KHL but aren't.

He'll be playing there before the year is out I bet.

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Hold my beer and watch this...

Really, are you sure? That would mean NJ wants to get rid of his contract.

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I didn't specify. They don't pay him, correct. They have to pay a penalty to the league ($250,000 year) for the next 12 yrs. No doubt, a hell of a lot cheaper than paying him that stupid money.

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Already there's a report out of Russia that he'll be signing with Ska (the team he played for over the lockout) for a cool $20 mill a year.
No wonder he doesn't care about forfeiting $77 mill and burning his bridges with the NHL

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck- ... um=twitter

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Hold my beer and watch this...

Kovalchuk doesn't strike me as the guy who would forfeit any money just because he likes Russia more. My first thought was "some Russian team probably offered him more than he will get over the next years.."

This could become a problem with Russians and frontloaded contracts.

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You know...if all a player (Russian or otherwise) wants is a payday and not a Stanley Cup, I'm 100% fine with them walking away.
GTFO and don't let the door hit you on the ass.

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Hold my beer and watch this...

It's too bad losing a player like him. But whatever, he claims he wants to be closer to his family in Russia.

At least he retired a PPG player. And we no longer need to worry about him scoring on us. I feel bad for the Devils, Kovalchuk had become one of the better two way players out there being on the Devils and now all they have is Parise and Henrique basically.

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The type of player, he was completely worth that stupid money. Still a stupidly talented player.

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Girgensons for captain. Team Keep Nick DesLauriers forever.

@TJLuckman550

What? Parise signed as UFA with Minnesota in 2012. You probably mean Henrique and Zajac.

Regarding Kovalchuk being a two way player, his carreer-plusminus is -116! They lost a great scorer.

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Honestly, NO player is really WORTH that money. No matter the sport, these guys get paid stupid money.

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They also have Elias, but he's probably retiring in a year or two.

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"Counting all the assholes in the room, I'm definitely not alone!" ~ Michael Poulsen, Volbeat, Still Standing.