NHL Year in Review: Ilya Kovalchuk for Person of the Year

There have been a lot of big stories in the NHL during 2010, but there isn't a person who has been talked about, tweeted about or written about as much as Ilya Kovalchuk of the New Jersey Devils. It was the year of Kovalchuk after his trade from Atlanta in February, through the summer of Kovalchuk and his seemingly never-ending quest for a free-agent contract, its subsequent rejection by the league, and now the hand wringing over what's gone wrong with the Devils this season and how much (or little) it has to do with him.

On February 4, Kovalchuk was traded to the New Jersey Devils; the beginning of a free-agency saga that would last long into the summer. Before he could hit free agency, there was still hockey to be played as the Devils won the Atlantic Division and earned the second seed in the Eastern Conference. Their playoff run would end with a thud though, as they were ousted in five games by the Philadelphia Flyers. Kovalchuk did have 27 points in 27 games down the stretch for the Devils including a 2-4-6 line during the post-season.

More Nominees: Crosby | Toews | Wirtz

July 1 came and went; the first day free agents are allowed to sign anywhere they please. Rumors swirled around Kovalchuk like mosquitoes around a mid-summer swamp. First, he was close to signing with the Kings. Then, the Islanders claimed to have some interest. The Kings backed out. Reports from Kovy's agent surfaced saying the search had been "narrowed" presumably because the Devils were the only team left. Heck, a KHL team said it was close probably just for the hell of it.

The Kings came back in and dropped back out. And then they were back. Finally, 19 days into the stand off, Kovalchuk re-signed with the Devils leaving us to feel as if we had been played by the NHL's version of Brett Favre. Was all that as confusing for you to read as it was for me to type? Hang in there, because it's not over yet.

On July 20, the day after Kovalchuk and the Devils held a heart-warming presser at the Rock in Newark, the NHL rejected the massive 17-year, $102 million deal. The Summer -- and year -- of Kovalchuk naturally would not go quietly. The NHL's rejection and an arbitrator's subsequent ruling to uphold the rejection led to the league opening up investigations into other long-term contracts and sent a message to the players and teams that long-term deals would from now on go under a microscope.

The 'Summer of Kovalchuk' finally came to a close as kids across the country were heading back to school on September 3. Sixty-five days after he became a free agent, Kovalchuk was officially off the market as the league approved a 15-year, $100 million deal with the Devils. The league punished the Devils with a fine of $3 million and the loss of two drafts picks, one of which will be a first rounder sometime in the next four years.