PITTSBURGH -- Alexei Kovalev's agent says the right wing rejected the Pittsburgh Penguins' proposal to extend his contract.

	Kovalev

The Penguins made Kovalev, 29, a multiyear offer that would have kept him in town for at least five years. But Kovalev and agent Scott Greenspun rejected the long-term extension, saying they are waiting for a better offer.

Kovalev is in the final year of a contract that will pay him $4.6 million this year. He can be a restricted free agent next summer and an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2004.

Kovalev is among the NHL's top five point producers. He has said he wants to make the kind of money the league's best-paid players get, which is between $8 million $11 million annually.