DALLAS -- Ilya Kovalchuk has made his decision. The 35-year-old has signed a three-year deal with the Los Angeles Kings, with a cap hit of $6.25 million annually.
The average annual value was something other teams could have offered. But much like with Patrick Marleau's near-identical free-agent contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs last summer, the Kings' willingness to add a third year to the deal was the difference.
The talk at the NHL draft on Friday night was that the Kovalchuk contract was one factor in the lack of player trades during the first round.