Lou Lamoriello
Ilya Kovalchuk’s record breaking 17 year, $102 Million deal has been shot down by the NHL for reasons of cap circumvention (per TSN). To brass tacks the article, the NHL put the kybosh on Lou and his Swamp Band on the grounds that the deal was being proposed and executed outside of good faith.
The current behind the scene situation on the Tomas Kaberle - Boston Bruins negotiations is intense, according to a solid source. It looks as though Burke's playing poker here and waiting to see if Peter Chiarelli will call his bluff or up the ante. The Pronger to Boston rumours remain a distinct possibility but it's said that the Kaberle to Bruins negotiations are on higher heat.
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I feel that the NHL has paradoxically lost a lot of it's appeal to the casual hockey observer by ushering in a salary cap and establishing the presence of relative parity. The prospect of competitive balance within the sport of hockey was long viewed as the ideal scenario, assuring the opportunity to succeed in any given season for even the least moneyed franchises and as a direct result providing these franchises with the means to draw new fans out of their tepid markets. It all sounded good on paper. But the league has lost a valuable dynamic that in my estimation plays a large part in the success of other major sports leagues and associations within North America.
