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Fantasy Hockey Gold - July 26

Not that this should surprise anyone, but the NHLPA has filed a grievance over the NHL's decision to disallow the contract signed between the New Jersey Devils and Ilya Kovalchuk.  More of this saga to come, and come and come some more...

Mason Raymond and the Vancouver Canucks came to an agreeement minutes before their arbitration hearing was set to go.  In another 11th hour speech, GM Mike Gillis pursuaded the young goal scorer to sign a two-year deal worth $5.1 million.  To me, this seems like a 'prove that last year wasn't a fluke and you will get paid in two years' kind of deal.  The cap hit ($2.55 million) and term work in both parties' favour as Raymond comes out on the other end still a RFA (one year after that he would have hit UFA territory), some contracts come off the books (see Mikael Samuelsson) and they can negotiate again.  Raymond's role doesn't change and he should still see important minutes in all situations, making him an attractive forward option in all fantasy formats.

Staying with the Canucks, Sami Salo is injured again.  AGAIN!!

The SYP Signature League has a solid group of potential owners and we are still looking to get some more applications before awarding the franchises.  Don't miss out on what will be one of the top dynasty leagues on the net today!

Fantasy Hockey Gold - July 23

Like everyone else and every other site dedicated to hockey (and sports, for that matter), the conversation remains on Ilya Kovalchuk and the New Jersey Devils.

His contract was ridiculous, no doubt, but did it go against any set rules or regulations set forth in the CBA?  No, and the NHL will find that out soon enough when the Players Association files a grievance against the decision to deny the contract between Kovalchuk and the Devils.

There is supporting evidence for the NHLPA, though not nearly as blantant as Kovalchuk's deal, but take a look at the deals given to Roberto Luongo (making $1 million in his last two seasons where he will be 41 and 42), or Marian Hossa, or Johan Franzen, or Chris Pronger.  All of these guys have contracts that are front loaded and go well into their old age (in NHL years).

I was very excited when the whole Kovalchuk situation was resolved, and now it seems to not be resolved, and my excitement for wanes.  It is inevitable that he returns to the Devils, likely with this deal or some minor variation thereof, and we can all sleep at night again knowing that he makes his millions, retires before the contract ends and the Devils enjoy a low cap hit, and the benefits of his contract off the books when he turns 38.

Fantasy Hockey Gold - Kovalchuk

Ilya Kovalchuk has finally signed... what a relief!

New Jersey was able to come to terms with the talented winger, and while no details were immediately released, the last offer I heard was seven-year, $60 million contract. (back on July 5th).

The impact to this deal is that Kovalchuk is now able to take on a full-time role with the Devils, whereas he may have been seen as a mercenary when he came over at the 2009-10 trade deadline.  He was considered ineffective after the deal, though that would be up to the high standards he had established for himself, because he still notched 10 goals and 17 assists in 27 game.  It's funny to think that a point-per-game pace is sub-par, but we all know what this guy can do - and thats exactly why the Devils re-signed him.

There are no losers in this deal for New Jersey, as the playmakers like Travis Zajac will see more assist opportunities, and even Zach Parise can look to use this deal as a benchmark for his upcoming contract talks (he becomes a restricted free agent (RFA) at the end of this year).  The city gets another superstar long-term and the team immediately retains its playoff status.

Would the LA Kings be considered a loser in this situation?  There is no doubt that the club was looking to add Kovalchuk, but it was also well known that they weren't willing to pay an exorbinant amount of money over a long term and effectively put themselves into a tough situation against the (ever-fluctuating) cap.  Drew Doughty, Jack Johnson and Wayne Simmonds all become RFAs at the end of the season and any long-term contract would have jeopardized Dustin Brown and both their young, talented goaltenders.  The Kings were better off (over the long haul) without Kovalchuk.

I think the biggest winner of this deal are the Yahoo! readers who no longer has to see Puck Daddy diatribes, er, blogs about Kovalchuk on a daily basis.

Fantasy Hockey Gold - July 16

Montreal Canadiens' Andrei Markov is set to become an official Canadian!  On Friday, July 16th, Markov will stand and take an oath that makes him a Canadian citizen.  He has played his entire 10-year career with the Habs and though he has battled injuries these past two seasons, he is still an elite option on the backend, especially on Montreal's power play.  Fantasy managers and poolies should play up his injuries and the fact he could be a Russian spy in hopes that this drops his draft ranking... Psst - pass the vodka.

The Minnesota are wild about their young captain Mikko Koivu and have given him a seven-year contact extension worth $47.25 million and includes a no-trade clause (does it mean anything anymore since Manny Malhotra got one?).  Anyways, the Finnish phenom carries a somewhat high $6.75 million per year cap hit, but isn't the typical long-term contract being handed out nowadays; it has an annual base salary will be $5.4 million with bonuses of $1.89 million paid every other year and a double instalment to raise the figure to $9.18 million in the final season.  What does this mean to fantasy owners?  Well, unlike some long-term contract holders (see Roberto Luongo or Marian Hossa who's contract totals dwindle near the end of the term), Koivu will most certainly be playing with the Wild at the end of his contract.  Though that's not until the 2017-18 season, dynasty owners can plan around his teammates - just bookmark this page as a reminder until then.

Another career will try to be jumpstarted in the KHL, as Pavol Demitra has signed a one-year deal to skate in the Russian league with Yaroslavl.  After starting his two-year contract in Vancouver with a 20-goal, 53-point campaign (in 63 games), Demitra just wasn't healthy in that second year or was off for personal time (his wife was ill).  The only time he shined during the 2009-10 season was in the Olympics where he was named one of the tournament All-Stars for his inspired play that lead Team Slovakia to a fourth place finish.  The key thing here is that there is still a place for this talented player, more as a mentor than a point producer - just look at the work he (and Mats Sundin) did with Ryan Kesler, helping him find the next step in his offensive game.

Brendan Mikkelson took the money on the table ($687,500 for one year) and will likely be a regular on the Ducks blue line in 2010-11, if as a bottom pairing.  He has some upside offensively, and could find a role on the power play, so keep him in mind late in deep drafts if he has a good pre-season showing.