Kovalchuk Nearing Deal With The Devils?

When we last check in on Ilya Kovalchuk, three teams were at the forefront of his free agency status. The Los Angeles Kings were perceived as out of the mix per comments by General Manager Dean Lombardi. The New York Islanders were preparing to fork over a $100 million, 10-year offer. And the New Jersey Devils were, somehow, still in the running.

That somehow part was given a bit of clarity today by The New York Post. At first, Mark Everson reported that Kovalchuk was expected to sign with the Devils on a seven-year pact worth $60 million. Everson's tune changed shortly thereafter, simply stating that Kovalchuk was expected to make a decision today and the Devils remained the favorites with their $8.57 million per season offer.

Unsure of what the Kings' last offer to Kovalchuk was, this seems like surprising news considering Hockey Night in Canada's Elliotte Friedman reported that Lombardi just could not get Kovalchuk to get under his request of a $100 million contract (Source 1/2). If that's the reason he dropped out, then why is Kovalchuk accepting a lower bid from New Jersey?