Ilya Kovalchuk retires?

Go Rangers!!!!!!!!!! Kovy thankyou for making the Devils even more irrelevant than already were

It has long been speculated Kovy never intended to stay for the length of his deal. He hinted at it almost as soon as he signed the deal and Lou has suggested he knew Kovy wouldnt stay. I doubt anybody guessed it would be so soon but lets not forget the lockout allowed him to go home and it allowed the guys with money to get in his head. Plus he wants his family raised in Russia so getting on the ice for the KHL during the lockout only fed his desires. And the rumor is he has a 5 year $50 mill. contract waiting for him to sign once he gets home.....tax free! The good part if you are the Devils is they only suffer a $250,000 cap hit (until 2025) and still lose that 1st rounder next year but one has to think the Devils management didn't exactly beg him to stay given the financial issues they currently have. A bit surprising that it happened now but not surprising that it happened, the rumors have been out there and he even suggested he might not come back after the lockout.

I hope that this was just a hacker playing a sick game. Kovalchuk was born to play Hockey

This news kind of makes me wonder how long NJ has known this was coming...with last week's signings of Ryder and Clowe and all.

Either way, ODD.

Money is not everything, but 77Million left behind isn't Chump Change.

The Devils rule in Cap Hell... AKA Newark

New Jersey has some of the highest taxes in the country and arguably one of the worst fan bases outside of the southern teams...can't fault him for going back to Russia to play.

I bet he plays in the KHL next year. This was most likely his way of getting out of NJ.

As a Devil's fan: Suicide.