Quote:
Originally Posted by Resolute 14
Lou won't do that. He knows that Kovalchuk did him a major favour by wanting to leave, as it got him out from under his owner's mistake. The Devils would be almost guaranteed to support his return for that reason. The old contract was voided, so they have no obligation.
Most other teams likely won't care, and I suspect discussions among the franchises will hinge on the poor optics of blackballing a player. I also find the rules around this curious, as it seems unlikely that previous guys who retired before coming back had to get unanimous consent to return. Also, nothing the league ever does requires unanimous consent. Surprised it isn't 50%+1, two-thirds or three-quarters or something like that.
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I think divisional rivals will care a big deal, an elite scorer like Kovalchuk could make the difference of a team being in the playoffs in this era of parity.
Also it appears the rules around his return are to discourage players from "retiring" from bad contracts and then returning later to sign better deals, in other words circumventing the salary cap. I am sure the kings would love for Richards to retire for a couple of months and then have a change of heart and re-sign.