Kovalchuk Drama: Day 8

Kovalchuk Looks Good In A Kings Jersey

You can read Helen (Not Helene..ha) Elliot, Rich Hammond or any of the other NHL Insiders for up-to-the-minute coverage.  I just figured I better give my two cents on the entire situation in Sparknotes form.

- Kovy and his agent Jay Grossman immediately limited their options when they made it public they were seeking $100 million.

- Grossman's use of twitter to provide updates of his client's situation is ridiculous.

- Is this as bad as the Dany Heatley saga last season? Possibly.

- How random was it when the New York Islanders popped into the Kovy sweepstakes without making an offer?

- Remember when sources reported that Kovy was ready to sign a 7-year deal worth $60 million?  Seems like weeks ago now.

- I never believed it for a second when Dean Lombardi told Helen (Not Helene...ha) that he was done negotiating with Kovy.  It just didn't make sense to call it quits so early in the game when you know you're one of probably two or three teams that can afford to add him.

- I still don't think the KHL is an option.

- Are the Kings seriously that worried about keeping 'the core' together?  Obviously the Kings don't want to lose Doughty but it's not like Jack Johnson or Wayne Simmonds have played themselves into superstar money.

- What happens with Frolov?  With or without Kovy?  Seems like he would have been swooped up already.

- Do the Kings say bye to Kovalchuk this offseason and take a run at Alexander Semin next year?

Helene is offering us this nugget.

Attracted by Kovalchuk's production and electrifying style, the Kings reportedly offered him $63 million over 12 years, an annual cap hit of $5.25 million, or $84.5 million over 13 years, an annual cap hit of $6.5 million.

If this is true.  The first offer gets blown out of the water by New Jersey's reported $60-million over seven years.  The second offer locks Kovalchuk up til he's 40 and is most likely his final NHL contract.  If that's the case; Kovy and Grossman will most likely be looking for $100 million to sign any contract that takes him to retirement.

Helene has been covering hockey for the LA Times for a long time but does anybody else find it strange that Deano and Tim Leiweke are so up-front with her about their negotiations and that every Kings fan's best friend Rich Hammond has pretty much been kept in the dark this entire time.  I'm not sure if the Kings are using Helene as part of their negotiation plan but it's all confusing to me.

So many questions.  So few answers.