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Perhaps to the chagrin of so-called housebound "agraphobes" everywhere, New York Islanders center John Tavares was named the NHL's First Star for the month of January.

It was a tremendous start to 2012 for Tavares, as the award wraps a 31-day stretch in which he notched a league-best nine goals and 13 assists, and earned his first trip to the All-Star game.

Tavares currently sits tied for fourth in the NHL points standings with 53, six behind league-leader Evgeni Malkin.

The NHL released the full rosters for the upcoming All-Star game in Raleigh, N.C. on Jan. 30, with the New York Rangers' Marc Staal and Henrik Lundqvist both included on the list.

It's the first selection for Staal, the Rangers' first-round pick in the 2005 entry draft. The blueliner has truly blossomed this season, contributing six goals and 11 assists while tasked with shutting down the opposition's top offensive threat night in and night out. Lundqvist (.923 save percentage and tied for the league high with five shutouts this season) returns to the game for the second time after being selected in 2009.

Meanwhile, the New Jersey Devils' Patrik Elias will make his third appearance in the game and first since 2002. The Czech winger has scored nine goals to go with 21 assists, leading the foundering Devils in points.

Isles fans will be less happy to see their team is one of just four franchises that won't be represented in the All-Star game -- though they will have a player participating in all-star weekend events. The Islanders, Phoenix Coyotes, Buffalo Sabres and Florida Panthers will only send rookie representatives, with New York's Michael Grabner (nine goals, four assists) competing in the Honda SuperSkills challenge only.

There's plenty to debate with these crowded, talent-rich rosters, but the selection of Elias over John Tavares, the Islanders' leading scorer with 28 points in 37 games, is a little curious. Yes, Elias has more points and no, Tavares isn't setting the league on fire. But you could argue, as I'm about to, that Tavares makes a better selection if only for marketing reasons.

One of the game's top young players and the No. 1 overall selection in the 2009, isn't it better to help Tavares's star rise rather than give another nod to Elias, whose status as his team's leading scorer is largely due to an injury to Zach Parise and the ineptitude of Ilya Kovalchuk? And would it really be so bad to throw a bone to a team looking to secure public approval for a new arena and remain in one of North America's largest TV markets?

In the grand scheme of things, the decision is probably meaningless, but I think it would have been in the league's best interest to pump up the young Islanders center a little bit.

I'm not saying Elias doesn't deserve the selection. He's a great player and it's nice that the Devils get some good news amid this dismal season, but to me, there's more to gain if Tavares gets the nod.

As you’ve no doubt read by now, the Islanders dealt D James Wisniewski to the Montreal Canadiens for a second-round pick in this coming draft and a conditional fifth-rounder the following year.

The move has some Islander fans frustrated that this season's top defenseman -- who was also tied for the team lead in points -- was being shipped out, in December, for more draft picks. Yes, it’s yet another step in a seemingly never-ending rebuilding project, but everyone knows the Islanders aren’t going anywhere in 2010-11, so adding chips for the future makes sense. You can’t fault GM Garth Snow and the Islanders for that.

You can, however, fault the team for getting less than top value for one of their most coveted trade assets. And it certainly appears the Islanders sold a little low on Wisniewski.

The value of any tradeable asset is always relative to the market and already this season we’ve seen one team trade for an established blueliner, with the Washington Capitals acquiring D Scott Hannan from the Colorado Avalanche. In return for the veteran stay-at-home blueliner the Avs received Tomas Fleischmann one of the top young talents on the Caps’ roster (51 points in 69 games in 2009-10). That’s an NHL-ready contributor who has been a point-per-game player in his 12 games with Colorado.

As their career stats indicate, by any points-based comparison Wisniewski (.41 points per game in 286 games) is a better asset than Hannan (.23 ppg in 788 games). And Wisniewski seems to be flourishing with all of the power play time he’s received, already posting a career-best in the power-play points department. Such offensive skills have traditionally improved the value of a player on the trade market, so maybe Wisniewski's defensive shortcomings sapped his stock.

Defensive metrics are tricky to pin down and seldom tell an accurate story, but Wisniewski’s +/- was a very suspect minus-18. Pretty wretched. But considering he spent 70 more minutes on the ice than the next closest Islander and his team allowed 3.3 goals per game, while scoring just 2.3, that’s not as terrible as it could be. There are four other skaters and a goalie out there with him after all. For his career, Wisniewski’s +/- stands at plus-1, a figure that stood at plus-19 before he joined the Islanders.

Both Wisniewski and Hannan have contracts expiring after this season (as does Fleishmann’s) but Wisniewski is younger and any team acquiring him will have extra time to ink him to an extension, if they so choose (and with injured D Andrei Markov approaching free agency as well, that makes some sense for the Habs).

Compared to the Hannan trade it sure seems like the Isles got the short end of the deal, but that’s just one example. Take it back to last season’s trade deadline and the picture doesn’t get much better.

Last season, the Isles’ Andy Sutton was dealt for a second-rounder. And while the Islanders may have thought they’d stick to that price range for their top tradeable D commodity this season, it seems the Isles undersold last season as well. Other D-men switching teams at the trade deadline included Joe Corvo and Lubomir Visnovsky. Corvo netted Brian Pothier, a prospect and a pick from the Caps, while Visnovsky (and a sixth-rounder) returned Ryan Whitney.

While the Isles acquired Wisniewski for a conditional third-round pick in July, it certainly seems that D-men of Wisniewski’s caliber have yielded NHL-ready contributors in the recent past, which is obviously more than the Islanders received for him yesterday. But a rebuilding team doesn’t necessarily want talent ready to contribute immediately, more or less a pending free agent like Fleischmann, so draft picks make sense. But it’s tough to draw a conclusion until we know the value of a second-round pick. So exactly what is a second-round pick worth?

Last season, Alvin Chang of ESPN’s NHL Draft Blog studied that topic after we noticed second-rounders were common coin at the trade deadline.

While the Draft Blog is part of ESPN’s Insider package and you may not be able to see it in full, he found that since 1996 second-round picks have a 59-percent chance of reaching the NHL and a 25.8-percent chance of playing more than 82 games. Fifth-rounders? A 9.9-percent chance of playing 82 games in the league.

Draft picks are all well and good for rebuilding teams, but the Islanders essentially just traded their biggest chip for two lotto tickets with a 1-in-4 and 1-in-10 chance of winning a player that might give them equal production to Wisniewski. On average since 1996, defensemen taken in the second round average 20.9 points per season, forwards 31.9. Both totals are lower than what Wisniewski puts up on an annual basis. The Islanders would have to hit on both picks in order to better his production levels.

GMs have their own math for how they value picks, and I’m no GM, but from our math, this deal doesn’t add up for the Islanders.

If you find humor in irony ... or if you're a Flyers fan ... you must be howling with laughter at the Devils right now. Here they are, 32 games into a season in which they added one of the league's elite scorers to an already accomplished squad and the Devs sit dead last in goals per game. And I mean, dead -- no pulse, don't bother with the defibrillator. At least that's how it appears.

New Jersey is currently averaging 1.75 goals per game. Not only is that the lowest scoring average in the league this season, but no one has even come close since the Tampa Bay Lightning clunked along at a 1.84 clip in 1997-98. Even the Columbus Blue Jackets were a quarter of a goal better in 2000-01, the franchise's second season.

What makes it even more confounding? Since the lockout, with the game's tempo and scoring on the rise, no team has even dipped below 2.30 goals per game (the Islanders in 2007-08). Simply put, Devils fans are watching the single most inept offense of the NHL's modern era ... despite locking down Ilya Kovalchuk and his 346 career goals.

On the surface that's a rather chilling reality, considering the Devils are supposed to be built to win now, but instead appear to require major retooling with limited means. But there are a few factors that cushion the blow. First, the Devs have missed perennial 30-goal scorer Zach Parise since October 30 due to injury. Second, New Jersey may just be a little unlucky with its shots. According to metricians, on average, NHL teams score on somewhere between 9 and 10 percent of their shots on goal. This season the Devs have only converted at a 5.9 percent clip.

Signs like that, plus Parise's return, indicate the Devils should be due some goals between now and the end of the season and that goal-per-game average should improve accordingly. Will it be enough for an improbable run at the playoffs? That's a much tougher question. But it should hopefully quell concerns that the Devils' roster is fundamentally flawed in the scoring department.

There's no doubt the Devils have been bad to date, but it doesn't appear that they'll stay this down for good. A few tweaks, a few better bounces and a little better luck in the health department and New Jersey's offense should start to rebound in the second half of the season.

And the show has reached a new low.

This was not the effort the Islanders were looking for. Entering Wednesday night with a four-game losing streak, the Isles were absolutely throttled by the Carolina Hurricanes in a 7-2 bludgeoning.

Game Story | Box Score

Nothing went right for the Islanders, who fell behind 5-0 and have now allowed an average of five goals per game during their five-game tumble. Their defense was thought to have been much improved during the team’s hot start to the season. Now it seems to have been a mirage. They currently sit at the bottom of the NHL in goals allowed.

Morning Links

• Lighthouse Hockey, says the Islanders exceeded the futile effort they put forth against the Flyers Saturday.
• Head coach Scott Gordon may start taking away some playing time from his underperformers, according to quotes on NYI Point Blank.
• The official team site is already looking ahead to tonight’s game against Ottawa.

The Devils started their season opener on fire but ultimately went down in flames, refunding a 2-0 lead and losing to the Dallas Stars 4-3 in OT.

After Travis Zajac and Zach Parise gave the home team a two-goal cushion and, along with prize free agent Ilya Kovalchuk, brought the sold out crowd at Prudential Center to its feet, the Stars rallied to send the game to the extra period, clinching the victory on a laser-sighted wrist shot from Loui Eriksson past Martin Brodeur.

Needless to say, it wasn't the start to the season, or John MacLean's head coaching career, that the Devs were looking for. A few points to consider before tomorrow's game in Washington against the Caps:

Plus

+ Happy Returns

Along with Kovalchuk, Parise and Brodeur, Jason Arnott received the biggest cheer during the team introductions. He further endeared himself with an absolute bomb from the point to put the Devils up 3-2 in the second period. With Arnott and Jamie Langenbrunner manning the points, the second power play unit has an old school look, that’s for sure.

+ First Impressions

A little over seven minutes into the game the Money Line of Parise-Zajac-Kovalchuk had lit the lamp twice on a pair of 2-on-1 breaks off the rush. Shortly after the second goal, Kovalchuk ripped a shot off the post, but it bounced away. Stars bench boss Marc Crawford said after the game that the lucky bounce was the biggest turning point in the game. In the end, it was Dallas' top line that laughed last, accounting for three goals on the night including the game-winner.

Minus

The Devils just couldn’t build on the lead. They were outshot for most of the first period and badly outshot (12-5) in the second. Chief among the team's problems were two points noted in the blog's game preview post.

- D-men
The first Stars goal was a direct result of the Devils' inability to clear the puck from their zone. The third goal was straight off a giveaway by Andy Greene. About a minute after the Greene giveaway the Devils gave up another chance that squirted across Brodeur’s crease. Less than a minute into the third period it should have been 4-3 Dallas, but Eriksson fanned on a perfect set up in the low slot.

This was the Devils’ undoing against the Flyers in last season’s playoffs. It bears watching tomorrow night when the blueliners will get a stiff test from the Washington Capitals.

- Secondary Scoring
With the first line firing early, it didn't seem like this would even matter. On the Parise goal, Lehtonen was definitely not looking at the puck, but kept glancing around to eye Kovalchuk and Zajac even as Parise bore down on him. Against this top line early on, it wasn't good enough to have your head on a swivel, you needed three heads. But the freewheeling start screeched to a halt by the second period.

The Devils had little success at even strength after the first seven minutes and struggled to sustain the forecheck. Even the top line only had success off the rush in the first period (granted, it was a lot of success off the rush). Only the Clarkson-Zubrus-Roslton line really had much success keeping the puck in the offensive zone for any substantial time. In fact, though they didn’t get on the score sheet, they may have been the team’s best line after the first seven minutes. The lack of secondary scoring will be a much bigger issue on the road tomorrow when MacLean can’t control the line matchups.

Notes and Quotes

- For the most part, MacLean and the players sited repeated small mistakes as the deciding factor in tonight's game.

"We turned the puck over at the offensive blue line all night and with their good transition game, they're going to make you pay for that," Parise said. "It's mental mistakes, but we're on the right track. We had a great third period, we just didn't score. When we started chipping it behind their goal line, that's what causes problems. But if you turn the puck over all night, you're causing your own problems."

"All those little mistakes are correctable," MacLean said. "But we need to manage the puck a little better."

- On the young backliners Matt Taormina and Alexander Urbom, MacLean added: "We're going to play them and we're going to go through the learning curve with them." That education will continue tomorrow against a Caps team coming off a 4-2 loss in Atlanta tonight.

- Greene said the seven-man rotation didn't bother the blueliners. "It was good, I thought we worked them in pretty well. There weren't many power plays or penalty kills so that makes it easier."

- Taormina and Henrik Tallinder led the D in ice time with just over 21 minutes. Alexander Urbom was the low man with just under nine.

- Despite the loss, the players are psyched about the team's top line.

"They're all so skilled," Tallinder said. "They just find each other so well on the ice."

- And in case anyone cares, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman was in attendance tonight.

With a relatively quiet day, I thought we'd start off with some league-wide links to get geared up for the Oct. 7 start to the season.

For the wise guys and gals among our readers, LoHud’s Rangers Report blog has posted the Stanley Cup odds for the 2010-11 season. The Devils come in at 15-1, while the Rangers sit at 40-1 and the Islanders at 100-1 – the longest odds in the NHL along with Columbus. A bunch more lines in there as well.

More to come on each of the area teams, but for now, savor these links.

Morning League-Wide Links

• The first set of ESPN’s power rankings were released yesterday with the Devils leading the local teams (No. 6), followed by the Rangers (22) and Islanders (27). Insider also released its preseason player power rankings, which uses the GVT value metric of Puck Prospectus to determine who deserves the Hart Trophy for league MVP. The only local candidate on that list, Zach Parise, ranks sixth, just ahead of Steven Stamkos and behind Ryan Miller.
• The NHL and the Officials’ Association have reached a tentative agreement to avoid a labor disruption.
• The NHL and KHL have agreed to honor each other’s contracts, meaning teams won’t have to worry about players pulling an Alex Radulov and bolting for the KHL in the middle of their NHL deal. A lot of writers, including this one, thought this would be a necessary hurdle before the NHL agreed to let its players participate in the 2014 Winter Olympics is Sochi, Russia.

Following the fallout from the Ilya Kovalchuk signing, long-term contracts have become a hot topic heading into the 2010-11 season. That's particularly true concerning players like Islanders C John Tavares, who will hit his first year of restricted free agency following the 2011-12 campaign -- the same time the league's collective bargaining agreement is set to expire.

With the NHL and NHLPA having already altered the current CBA, the Isles may want to lock up the former No. 1 pick and future franchise center with a career-length contract before any more restrictions are added. But if they did, would Tavares even be open to accepting one?

In a one-on-one interview this morning, Tavares supplied his view on that matter.

"There’s always pros and cons to it. You’d love to be in one place your whole career and you’d love to not have to worry about your contract coming to an end or talking to the media about it," Tavares said when asked if he could see himself signing a 15-year-plus deal with the Islanders. "But as we’ve seen with Kovalchuk’s contract, sometimes with these long-term deals there can be issues. Still, I think when you have that security and can be in one place for your whole career and not have to worry and just focus on playing, I think that can be beneficial for some guys."

Take it as you will, I'm sure we'll hear plenty on the subject over the next two seasons.

In the meantime, here's what Tavares had to say about Kovalchuk's courtship by the Islanders and ensuing deal with the Devils, as well as a few notes on the past and coming season:

Did you follow the summer drama with Kovalchuk’s contract?

"Yeah, everyone was wondering what was going to happen. I was hearing what was going on with us and thinking he could come here for a bit, but now he’s going to be in our division and be a weapon for the Devils. As for that contract itself, obviously it was sorted out and it’s probably something that will be sorted out more in the next labor talks."

Given what the Devils had to go through to get him, would you have liked to have him on the Islanders?

"[GM] Garth [Snow] said he was always inquiring and I think he thought we would improve with the team we’ve got going. So, he felt it was best to stay away and I think that’s going to allow a lot of our young guys to grow. You know, [Kovalchuk] is kind of at that point where he’s in his prime and we’re still a little young. Obviously he would be a good addition, but at the same time, you don’t want to mess up the chemistry we already have."

What was the hardest thing about last season for you?

"Just getting acclimated to everything on and off the ice. It’s a lot at first. I was lucky that Doug Weight was able to help me quite a bit. That took a load off so I could just focus on playing. That helped me to some early success."

How happy are you that the Islanders re-signed him?

"I was pumped. He’s been huge for me, a big mentor, also a great friend. I’m pretty close with him and his family, who have welcomed me with open arms. I think everyone likes him, our core guys benefit from his experiences and he’s still a great hockey player."

Around the middle of last season you had a bit of a scoring slide. Were you getting tired or how do you look back on that stretch?

"I think it was a combination of things. For a week or two I was trying to just get over the hump mentally, but after I thought I was playing some really good hockey. Some of those weeks when pucks weren’t going in I thought I was playing well and making things happen. It’s one of those things; you just have to tough it out. I really learned a lot about myself and how I could contribute in other ways. It was a good test for me and I think it will benefit me in the future."

What do the Islanders need to do this season to take that next step?

"In our division, we haven’t done so well the last couple of years. Last year, we were in the playoff race pretty late, which shows we were a competitive team. We were really close, but I know we didn’t have enough success in our division [Ed. note: 7-15-2 against the Atlantic in 2009-10], especially on the road with some teams [Ed. note: combined 0-9 against the Devils, Flyers and Penguins], and that’s tough when everyone in your division is trying to get in [the playoffs]. I think if we can finish .500 or better that will give us a great shot at the playoffs."

Add $3 million dollars and a first- and third-round draft pick to the cost of signing Ilya Kovalchuk.

Despite arbitrator Richard Bloch noting that the Devils did not act in poor faith when they first signed Kovalchuk to the 17-year, $102M contract he interpreted as a form of salary cap circumvention, the NHL nevertheless severely punished New Jersey for the attempt.

The penalty, issued Monday night, strips the Devils of their third-round pick in the 2011 draft and a first-round draft pick sometime in the next four years.

Even as many debate whether the acquisition of Kovalchuk will help the Devils, the cost keeps escalating. The first price was a package of the Devils’ 2010 first-round pick, Johnny Oduya, Niclas Bergfors and prospect Patrice Cormier, sent to Atlanta for Kovalchuk, in addition to Anssi Salmella and flipping second-round picks with the Thrashers. Tom Gulitti of the Bergen Record has a running tab over at the Fire and Ice Blog. (And bartender … keep it open.)

Because of Kovalchuk’s new contract, New Jersey must still balance its salary-cap ledger by shedding at least $3M from its 2010-11 player payroll, which will likely require two players to be traded or relegated to the minor leagues/a European team. Should one of those players be talented young center Travis Zajac, or if Kovalchuk’s signing prohibits them from retaining 26-year-old star Zach Parise -- a restricted free agent after the season -- the move may well be indefensible without a Stanley Cup to balance the columns.

Trading Zajac is a last resort, but the most likely trade candidates all carry bad contracts most teams are in no hurry to acquire. And the league requirement for salary cap compliance by the start of the NHL season already strips Devils GM Lou Lamoriello of any and all leverage. Some media speculated that Lamoriello may have to entice trading partners by adding a top prospect or draft pick in addition to The Expendables -- Dainius Zubrus and Bryce Salvador, the most likely players for the Devils to deal.

But now short two more future draft picks, New Jersey’s picks and prospects become even more valuable (New Jersey already swapped its 2011 second-round pick in exchange for Jason Arnott this summer), particularly as the team looks for young, cost-controlled players to balance against Kovalchuk’s $6.67M cap hit. Fortunately for the Devils, the $3M fine will not count against the team’s salary cap, as it could have under league rules. That concession was “won” at the time the Kovalchuk deal was signed, after negotiations between the league and the NHLPA, according to an AP report.

However, with the other teams under scrutiny for possible salary cap circumvention at that time -- the Flyers (Chris Pronger’s contract), the Blackhawks (Marian Hossa), the Canucks (Roberto Luongo) and the Bruins (Marc Savard) – going unpunished by the league, it certainly provides the appearance the Devils are being made the scapegoat for franchises with similar sins. After many of those pacts were finalized last season, the league did warn team to stop signing players to such excessive, long-term deals, so perhaps New Jersey shouldn’t have been surprised by the ruling. However, the league did still accept those previous deals, while the Devils were the team out of which the NHL finally made an example.

Morning Links

• Puck Daddy’s Greg Wyshynski discusses the NHL’s lack of sympathy for the Devils.
• The New York Post says the Devils could appeal to the NHL Board of Governors, or take the league to court -- though both options are unlikely.
• Lou Lamoriello issued a short statement. In summary, he’s less than thrilled.
• In a poll on In Lou We Trust, 60 percent of voters said Kovalchuk was worth it, through 7:50 a.m. Tuesday. The site also posted its training camp preview this morning.

As promised, with the ink drying on Ilya Kovalchuk’s new $100 million mega-deal, the blog is back to examine some of the implications of the never-ending fiasco. We start overseas.

Did the KHL just get KO’d?

This was easily the Kontinental Hockey League’s best shot to land a legitimate, world-class star in his prime. Indeed, it felt like a perfect storm was surging forward to keep Kovalchuk in the Motherland. As constant delays kept bogging down his deal in the NHL, one wealthy KHL club told the winger he could name his terms. Instead, Kovalchuk told Yahoo!’s Dmitry Chesnokov that he didn’t really consider playing in the KHL. Ouch.

In the end of this Odyssey, Kovalchuk took less money and endured a 49-day wait while his contract was raked over the coals and caught in the crossfire of a battle between the NHL and its players’ association. If a king’s ransom and sheer convenience doesn’t tip the balance in the KHL’s favor, what will? KHL president Alexander Medvedev pulled out all the stops to recruit Kovalchuk and still struck out.

While we’ve been focusing on the changes to the collective bargaining agreement, the KHL’s loss has been a little overlooked. To me, this was a referendum on the Russian league’s ability to attract top talent. It failed. And now you have to wonder how -- or if it will ever -- attract legitimate top-shelf stars.

One answer is to keep home-grown talent at home. But several of its top younger hockey players, such as Islanders’ draft pick Kirill Kabanov, are on the record saying they prefer the NHL over the KHL. If the Russian league keeps striking out in free agency, will it work harder to keep its kids at home? And can the KHL afford to toughen up as it desperately recruits NHL players for the 2014 Sochi Olympics?

The CBA changes: Long-term deals aren’t dead

Back in North America, there were two main changes to the CBA as a result of Kovalchuk’s deal with the Devils, both of them specifically addressing what is permissible in long-term contracts:

"The compensation for all seasons that do not include or succeed the player's 41st birthday will be totaled and divided by the number of those seasons to determine the annual average value. In all subsequent seasons, the team's cap charge will be the actual compensation paid to the player in either that season or seasons.

"For any long-term contract that averages more than $5.75 million for the three highest-compensation seasons, the salary cap value for any season in which the player is age 36, 37, 38, 39 and/or 40 shall be a minimum of $1 million."

Given that so few players have laced up their skates beyond the age of 40, the first change eliminates the salary cap circumvention of adding low-paying years to the end of the contract to reduce the average salary (which determines the cap hit). Even if teams wanted to load up those post-40 years and reduce the cap-hit on the south side of age 40, they’d still be on the hook for that cap money at the end of the contract. But we still could see some massive deals signed for 15 or more years.

Even abiding by the second change, teams could theoretically extend a career-length offer to a 21-year-old player reaching free agency for the first time -- as long as teams were prepared to pay the full-cap hit.

You could conceivably see a perceived superstar signing a 19-year contract worth $150 million, making the cap hit over a million bucks lower than the existing figure for Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin.

But is that contract now worth it to a team? One injury and a team’s financial structure could be crippled along with its star. Those are the higher stakes following the amendment.

The NHL wasn’t trying to eliminate all long-term offers, merely to prevent teams from ducking the full-impact of salary cap hits. We could still see contracts both longer and richer than the deal signed by Kovalchuk, but teams will have to think long and hard before they put that deal on the table.

As the week continues, we’ll take a look at what the CBA changes mean for three key players in the New York area and how their contract talks will be affected.

In the meantime, here’s some morning reading.

Morning Links

Devils

• ESPN’s Scott Burnside writes that with the conclusion of the Kovalchuk deal and the changes to the CBA, everyone should be happy.
• SI’s Allan Muir likewise thinks the deal is a win-win, though he notes the Devils still have some moves to make. He also quotes a GM who believes trading Travis Zajac isn’t outside the realm of possibility, though it’s a last resort.
• Puck Daddy’s Dmitry Chesnokov got a hold of Kovalchuk for his first comments since the approval of his new contract.
• Kovalchuk tells the New York Post he wants to win the most Stanley Cups he can.
• Devils owner Jeff Vanderbeek tells Fire and Ice that he’s thrilled he finally got his man. He also had no comment on the timing of a possible Zach Parise extension. Tom Gulitti adds a note that the Kovalchuk contract has a no-movement clause until June 30, 2016, with a no-trade clause for the remainder of the deal.
• In Lou We Trust takes a look at the Devils’ record with Martin Brodeur lets a soft goal slip through.

Islanders

• Lighthouse Hockey wonders when Nino Niederreiter will sign with the team. And also grades John Tavares.
• A quartet of Islanders went fishing to benefit the team’s Children’s Foundation.

Rangers

• The team site takes a look at some of its top prospects as they prepare for the Traverse City prospect tournament.
• Here’s more info on the schedule and roster, which includes the team’s top draft choice, Dylan McIlrath. Insiders can get a profile on McIlrath and some of his special talents here.
• The Rangers Report takes a preliminary look at the 2010-11 team, and doesn’t believe it to be much improved from last year’s squad that sat out the playoffs.
• Blueshirt Banter says the NHL deserves a pat on the back for the way it handled the Kovalchuk affair. Wonder how Devils fans feel about that.
• The Blueshirt Blog offers some observations after watching some of the early skating at the MSG Training Center. Among the notes, Sean Avery and Wade Redden have been regulars at the skate sessions and look determined to put their best boot forward as they fight for their jobs in training camp.
• Ranger Rants previews the team’s defense.
• No pressure, coach, but Pro Hockey Talk readers think Rangers bench boss John Tortorella is the most likely to be fired this season.
• Blueshirts by the Numbers takes a look at Jean Ratelle.

The NHL and its players association reached an agreement regarding the future treatment of long-term contracts today, allowing the Devils' contract with Ilya Kovalchuk to finally gain the league's validation.

The approval of the $100 million, 15-year pact ends a long, tumultuous free agency for the all-star winger, in which his first deal with the Devils was nixed by the NHL. But while this stage of the seemingly endless saga is over, related storylines are already picking up speed.

Kovy Cap Casualties

With Kovalchuk on board, New Jersey must now maneuver to get back under the $59.4 million salary cap before the end of training camp. To do so, the Devils will have to dump a little more than $3M from their current roster. In order to fill out the 23-man roster, they'll need to clear out even more. We discussed the most likely candidates earlier, but the list is headlined by Dainius Zubrus and Bryce Salvador. Given the length of time it's taken to get Kovalchuk's contract approved by the league, it is thought that Devils GM Lou Lamoriello may already have some trades lined up, but there have been no solid rumors to date.

The CBA

As was reported earlier in the New York Post, in exchange for the approval of the Kovalchuk contract -- and the allowance of earlier pacts signed by the likes of Marian Hossa and Roberto Luongo -- the NHL required the NHLPA to adjust the current collective bargaining agreement to close a loophole exploited by excessive long-term contracts. Reports Friday afternoon signaled that the sides did agree on an amendment, but details are still emerging as to the exact changes to the CBA. Early reports via Twitter suggest the changes will impact contracts that extend players past the ages of 35 and 40.

More to come this weekend as the dust settles.

No, you’re not experiencing déjà vu. It’s Decision Day Deadline Day for Ilya Kovalchuk and the Devils, when the league and the NHL Players Association will might announce a verdict on the Kovy contract and other long-term deals under scrutiny by the NHL. Or they could delay the decision. Again.

The only certainty is that, by 5 p.m. Friday, the league will announce something about the status of its negotiations with the NHLPA concerning the future treatment of long-term contracts. As reported Wednesday night by the Post, Kovalchuk’s 15-year, $100 million pact with the Devils hangs in the balance.

Tom Gulitti sets the stage over at Fire and Ice, quoting a source last night as saying it’s too early to tell if the sides will reach an agreement by the 5 p.m. deadline. Another deadline extension would almost certainly push the decision beyond the holiday weekend. That could be problematic if previous reports are accurate that Kovalchuk's camp has the Devils on a deadline of their own and that he may play the season in Russia if it is not met. The Kontinental Hockey League begins its season Sept. 8. (A little more on that in the Morning Links below.)

ESPN’s Scott Burnside had heard from another source Thursday night that the NHL and NHLPA were close to an accord that would make both sides look good.

Gulitti also notes that the NHLPA has begun preparing a grievance to be filed on behalf of Kovalchuk should the deal again be disallowed. That would send the contract back to arbitration.

Morning Links

• SI’s Jim Kelley says that while it seems the league is muscling around the NHLPA, Commissioner Gary Bettman has a lot to lose if the Kovalchuk contract goes back to an arbitrator.
• In Lou We Trust assigns some blame to the parties involved in the Kovy contract fiasco, and finds that the majority lies with the NHL.
• A KHL vice president says the offer to Kovalchuk still stands, but that he expects him to remain in the NHL.

We may be gaining some clarity on why the verdict of Ilya Kovalchuk's second contract was delayed. The New York Post's Larry Brooks reports, according to "several well-placed sources," that the league is taking a hard line on long-term contracts and seeking amendments to the collective bargaining agreement. If the NHL Players Association doesn't accept the proposed amendments, Kovalchuk's contract will again be struck down and the contracts of Vancouver Canucks G Roberto Luongo and Chicago Blackhawks wing Marian Hossa may also be in peril.

According to Brooks, the NHL would grandfather in all three player contracts if the NHLPA agreed to the following changes to the CBA:

1. That the cap hit on future multiyear contracts will not count any season that ends with the player over 40 years of age. The cap hit would be based on the average salary of the seasons in the contract up to age 40.

2. That the cap hit on future contracts longer than five years would be calculated by granting additional weight -- perhaps the average -- to the five consecutive years with the largest average salary.

If the NHLPA does not accept those changes, the league threatens the following actions:

1. It will reject the Kovalchuk contract.

2. It will de-register Luongo's contract under which the goaltender will earn $3.618 million over the final three years of his deal. The goaltender is carrying a $5.333 million cap hit.

3. It will move to open a formal investigation of Hossa's contract under which the winger will earn $4 million over the final four years of his contract. Hossa is carrying a cap hit of $5.275 million per.

Brooks notes that the league has accepted the lengthy deal between Chris Pronger and the Flyers, but the status of Marc Savard's seven-year $28.5M contract is unknown.

The NHLPA has until 5 p.m. Friday to accept the changes, according to the Post's report.

Considering the small number of players who last in the league past age 40, the first amendment makes sense in terms of restricting salary cap circumvention. The second amendment however could drastically alter future deals for players, as teams may become reluctant to subject themselves to the extra weighting. That means star players may not be signing contracts that endure through the end of their careers and taking a hit in the wallet.

Instead of using their current production as leverage for a guaranteed contract into their late-30s, players may now see shorter contract terms. They may then be forced to negotiate another contract after their production has started to trail off and accept less money than they would have enjoyed with a long-term contract such as the one signed by Hossa.

If the Post report is accurate, this would be a very big change in a very small window of time. And apparently Kovalchuk's deal with the Devils hangs in the balance.

UPDATE: ESPN's E.J. Hradek tweeted last night that NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly says no ultimatum has been given to the NHLPA.

It seems fitting that with a $100 million contract waiting in limbo for Ilya Kovalchuk, a pair of articles discuss the idea of value in today’s salary-capped NHL.

Yesterday, ESPN’s E.J. Hradek provided his All-Bargain Team (Insider), which was headlined by Devils winger Zach Parise. Parise’s production has been huge relative to his salary, but the Devils won’t enjoy that disparity for much longer as his contract expires at the end of this season. In fact, if the Kovalchuk contract goes through, they might not enjoy his production at all. But that’s another topic for another time.

Puck Prospectus, the hockey brethren of the better-known Baseball Prospectus think tank, also recently released a list of the players who provide the best bang for the buck.

Using their proprietary stat, Goals Versus Threshold (GVT), which calculates all of a player’s statistical contributions, both offensively and defensively, and collates them into one tidy number, they looked at the production of all NHL players relative to their cap hit.

Here’s their top 20:

1. Duncan Keith, Chicago
2. Nicklas Backstrom, Washington
3. Alex Burrows, Vancouver
4. Zach Parise, Devils
5. Tyler Myers, Buffalo
6. Ryan Kesler, Vancouver
7. Patric Hornqvist, Nashville
8. Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay
9. Marc Staal, Rangers
10. Ian White, Calgary
11. Chris Stewart, Colorado
12. Jussi Jokinen, Carolina
13. Jonathan Toews, Chicago
14. Alexander Semin, Washington
15. Loui Eriksson, Detroit
16. Rene Bourque, Calgary
17. Henrik Sedin, Vancouver
18. Andy Greene, Devils
19. Matt Moulson, Islanders
20. Tomas Fleischmann, Washington

The vast majority of these players are still under club control and have yet to reach unrestricted free agency, and some of them have already signed extensions. Marc Staal, on the other hand, is in the midst of negotiating his contract for next season. Looks like his camp just got some more ammunition. Check out the full article for some deeper analysis.

Morning Links

• ESPN’s Scott Burnside believes that if the NHL and NHLPA finally can define acceptable parameters on long-term contracts, this two-day delay on the Kovalchuk contract will be worth it.

Rangers

• Busy day for Burnside, as he also lists the top five coaches on the hot seat, which includes Rangers head coach John Tortorella.
• Henrik Lundqvist and Sean Avery skated at the Rangers’ MSG Training Center yesterday and chatted with the team’s site about next season. The report also notes that the newly acquired Tim Kennedy should arrive at the Training Center on Thursday.
• Newcomer Todd White and Brandon Dubinsky also spoke to Jim Cerny on Tuesday.
• Blueshirt Banter takes a closer look at Michael Del Zotto’s power play production and finds that he ranks around the middle of the pack when it comes to D-men running their team’s attack with the man advantage. Really interesting read.

Islanders

• Once linked to the New York Islanders, Stanley Cup-winning goalie Antti Niemi has signed a one-year contract with the San Jose Sharks.

Devils

• In case you missed it -- and if you did, here’s a hearty congratulations on recovering from that coma – the NHL and NHLPA agreed to delay the league’s decision on the latest Kovalchuk contract to Friday at 5 p.m.
• The Bergen Record’s Tom Gulitti summarizes the late-day Kovalchuk madness here. Among the interesting notes: Though GM Lou Lamoriello has said he’s okay with the extension, he did not answer when asked if Kovalchuk was also okay with the delay. It had been previously speculated that the Russian winger had a set a deadline for the Devils to get a deal done before he packed it in and stayed in Russia with a KHL team for the season.
• While Lamoriello may be okay with the delay, In Lou We Trust, is … uh … not.

“I'll be brief: This is garbage. It's just about excremental as it just stinks all the way around.”

• David Clarkson discussed his summer, which included his wedding and a bike ride with Lance Armstrong, with the Gulitti.

Even with a supposedly firm deadline in sight today, the Ilya Kovalchuk contract odyssey drags on.

The NHL and the NHL Players Association have agreed to extend Wednesday's 5 p.m. deadline for the league to rule on the new contract's validity to the same time on Friday.

The existing collective bargaining agreement allows the NHL five days to review and either register or decline player contracts. If the league did not act prior to that deadline, the CBA states the contract would automatically be allowed. Or ...

Apparently there's a third option. Both the league and the NHLPA agreed to delay the ruling until the end of the week, meaning the story will continue to hold everyone's rapt attention until then. (Okay, maybe not everyone's.)

Reasons for the delay were not immediately clear. The Bergen Record's Tom Gulitti reported that the issue extended beyond the Devils' pact with Kovalchuk, lending fuel to rumors that the league will use this current debate as a platform to confront existing long-term contracts that could be construed as attempts to circumvent the salary cap. If that were the case however, the NHLPA may not have been so keen to extend the deadline. Better one disgruntled player than a handful, right?

Another possible reason for the NHLPA playing along is that Kovalchuk's contract was close to meeting NHL approval, but not completely acceptable to the league. Rather than striking down a second contract, the two parties can now continue to haggle over what should be permissible in career-length contracts such as this one and amend the existing deal. (UPDATE: Gulitti tweets that this is not what is happening now. Devils GM Lou Lamoriello confirmed it to Gulitti as well. However, TSN's Darren Dreger reports that the NHL and NHLPA may be considering a rule change with regard to long-term contracts.)

Lamoriello issued a statement shortly after the extension announcement, noting that the team remains "confident that the terms of this contract comply, in every respect, with the CBA and meet both the NHL’s concerns and the principles of Arbitrator Bloch’s decision. We remain optimistic that this extension will result in an approval of the contract and that Ilya Kovalchuk will remain a valuable member of the Devils for the balance of his career." He added, "We will have no further comment until the decision is rendered."

We'll see if the fat lady will sing on Friday.