Ilya Kovalchuk’s agent looks back at a long, hot summer

Ilya Kovalchuk wasn’t the only high-profile potential 2010 free agent Jay Grossman had as a client.

But one of them, goalie Pekka Rinne, got a deal to remain with the Nashville Predators before the regular season ended — a two-year, $6.8 million contract that looked awfully good for Rinne in hindsight.

Another one, defenseman Anton Volchenkov, was done fairly quickly when Grossman and the New Jersey Devils negotiated a deal on July 1.

The good fortune led to somebody asking Grossman a question on the first day of free agency: “You expect Kovy to be done in a couple hours?” Grossman was asked.

He thought about it for a second.

“Nah, I don’t think so,” he answered.

Yeah, it didn’t happen. Not that day. Not the next day. Kovalchuk wasn’t officially signed until 3 in the morning on Sept. 4.
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