The New Jersey Devils could be worth a bet at the bookmaker now that they have top scorer Ilya Kovalchuk signed and sealed. The Devils originally had signed Kovalchuk to a 17-year, $102 million dollar deal but the NHL rejected it. They approved a revised 15-year deal worth $100 million dollars. New Jersey is 12-1 in offshore betting odds at Sbgglobal to win the Stanley Cup.
Paying Kovalchuk $100 million dollars seems ridiculous but the Devils actually made a good deal since it helps them in regards to the salary cap. It is obvious that Kovalchuk is not going to play for another 15 years since he is 27 years old so New Jersey set up a deal that helps them now and in the next few years in regards to the salary cap.
338 Goals and 304 Assists – Kovalchuk has played 642 games and scored a total of 338 goals while assisting on 304 others. There are not many players in the league who average a point per game. Last season Kovalchuk had 41 goals and 44 assists as he split time between Atlanta and New Jersey. The Devils got him in a multi-player trade in February.
Numbers – The Devils will take a $6.67 million dollar hit on their salary cap this season. They are over the limit now but they will be able to clear some space before the season starts in just a few weeks time.
Is any player worth $100 Million? Is any NHL player worth that much money? Kovalchuk didn’t do enough last seasons to keep New Jersey from losing against the offshore betting odds in the first round of the playoffs. He is a good scorer but he is not a superstar player like Sidney Crosby or Alexander Ovechkin. Those two players might be worth $100 million but Kovalchuk is not.
103 Points – Last season the Devils finished with 103 points which was the second most in the Eastern Conference. They won the Atlantic Division as they finished two points ahead of Pittsburgh. The Devils had the best defense in the NHL last season. They are hoping that having Kovalchuk for a full season will improve their offensive numbers which were below average. New Jersey opens up the season on October 8th and they will be favored at the bookmaker as they host the Dallas Stars.