NHL Offseason: Recapping League Contract Investigations

There are just under two months until the 2010-2011 NHL regular season begins.

This has been one of the craziest offseasons in recent history. With Ilya Kovalchuk's 17-year, $102 million deal being investigated and rejected, arbitrator Richard Bloch has also decided to investigate some of the other long-term contracts in the league.

Although there has only been recent news involving one player discussed in this article, here is a recap of where the league stands with several key players.

Tomas Kaberle: Toronto Maple Leafs

Kaberle, a Maple Leafs defenseman who has been with the team since 1998-1999, was at the forefront of several trade rumors this season. Some of the rumors involved him going to teams such as the Tampa Bay Lightning and the San Jose Sharks.

But once the clock hit midnight last night, Kaberle's no-trade clause kicked in, and he will remain with Toronto.

Kaberle will make $4.25 million this year and will be an unrestricted free agent after the 2010-2011 season. He is a consistent 30-or-more points scorer for Toronto and finished the 2009-2010 season with 49 points and a minus-16 rating.

In a press release on NHL.com, Toronto general manager Brian Burke said:

"While a number of clubs made offers to trade for Tomas, none of them reflected Tomas' value to our team. I understand a period like this is stressful to the player, and we are pleased that there is a resolution, and we can all continue to prepare for the coming season."

Chris Pronger: Philadelphia Flyers

Pronger is getting back to work as part of his recovery and rehabilitation from arthroscopic knee surgery. He told NHL.com that he was injured in Game One of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Boston Bruins. In 2009-2010 he had 55 points and a plus-22 rating in the regular season and 18 points with a plus-five rating in the playoffs.

The 35-year-old defenseman just finished his first season with Philadelphia and is signed with the Flyers for the next seven years. He will make $7.6 million this year.

After 2011-2012 the amount Pronger makes will decline every year. He is expected to make $525,000 in the last two years of his contract, assuming he plays that long.

The trend of giving a player less money as he gets further along in his contract is common among the contracts discussed in this piece. These are known as diveback years.

Marc Savard: Boston Bruins

Not only has Marc Savard been the center of trade rumors all summer, but also his seven-year, $28 million contract has been under investigation since it was signed in December 2009.

Savard is currently 33 years old and is under contract until he turns 40. Since coming to Boston, he has scored more than 70 points in a season three times. However, injury problems limited him to 41 games and 33 points in 2009-2010.

Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli has agreed to cooperate with the NHL. He recently met with two league-appointed lawyers and has told NHL.com that he will not make any further comment at this time.

Marian Hossa: Chicago Blackhawks

Hossa's 12-year, $62.8 million contract was part of the reason the Blackhawks ended up in salary cap trouble.

Prior to moving five players to shed salary and going to arbitration with Antti Niemi, the Hawks had $57.6 million tied up for 14 players for 2010-2011. The NHL's salary cap was expected to rise just slightly next year to $58.8 million, leaving the Hawks with only $1.2 million more to fill out their roster.

Hossa's contract has been under investigation since it was first signed in July 2009, but it remains in place as of this time.

Hossa, a 31-year-old forward, is on the Blackhawks' payroll until he is 43 years old. Chicago is his fourth stop since 2007-2008. This past year, he had 51 points in the regular season and 15 points in the playoffs as he claimed his first career Stanley Cup.

Roberto Luongo: Vancouver Canucks

Luongo is expected to make $10 million in the 2010-2011 season. He is signed through 2022 and has a $5.3 million cap hit.

After this coming season Luongo will make $6.7 million for the next seven years. Then he will make $1.6 million in 2019-2020 and will close out his contract making $1 million in the final two years.

Aside from his long-term contract, Luongo's merits as a team captain and playoff goaltender are under debate. He often has strong regular seasons, as he has two 40-win seasons and played more than 50 games in each of the last four seasons. However, he often comes up short in the playoffs.

For example, after having a record of 40-22-4 to go with a .913 save percentage and a 2.57 GAA last regular season, Luongo faltered in the playoffs, going 6-6 with a .895 save percentage and a 3.22 GAA.

At this time no decision has been made on whether or not this contract will be allowed to stand.