The LA Times reported Sunday that the Los Angeles Kings are no longer in the running for free agent superstar Ilya Kovalchuk.  Kings general manager Dean Lombardi told the Times Sunday that Kovalchuk decided against signing with the Kings.  “We took our best shot to meet his needs and the team’s,” Lombardi said.

The New Jersey Devils, of whom Kovalchuk spent half of last season, and the New York Islanders are the two teams considered in the hunt for the winger.  Last year, Kovalchuk turned down a $101 million offer from the Atlanta Thrashers.

The Kings, it seems, were unwilling to meet the New York Islanders $100 million offer for Kovalchuk.  Unlike LA, the Islanders have the money to sign Kovalchuk and several others, the team is just $9 million over the cap floor.

If Kovalchuk signed the Islander’s reported offer, it would make him the highest paid player in the NHL.  Here’s what the other top 10 made last season:

Alexander Ovechkin – Washington - $9.538 million

Sidney Crosby – Pittsburgh - $8.7 million

Evgeni Malkin – Pittsburgh - $8.7 million

Eric Staal – Carolina - $8.25 million

Brad Richards – Dallas - $7.8 million

Rick Nash – Columbus - $7.8 million

Vincent Lecavalier – Tampa Bay - $7.727 million

Dany Heatley – San Jose - $7.5 million

Zdeno Chara – Boston - $7.5 million

Marian Gaborik – New York Rangers - $7.5 million

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Biz of Hockey brings you an updated list of all the free agent signings in the NHL since the free agent period began ($ coming soon) July 1:

Anaheim Ducks

Toni Lydman – D - Signed three-year contract

Saku Koivu – C – Signed two-year contract

Sheldon Brookbank - Re-signed
Kyle Chipchura - Re-signed one-year contract
Jean-Philippe Levasseur - G - Signed one-year contract
Trevor Smith - LW -  Signed one-year contract
Atlanta Thrashers

Mike Siklenka – RW – Signed as free agent

Chris Mason – G – Signed as free agent

Boston Bruins

Daniel Paille – LW – Re-signed two-year contract

Jeremy Reich – LW – Signed one-year contract as free agent

Dennis Seidenberg - RW - Signed four-year contract as free agent

Shawn Thornton -  Signed two-year contract as free agent

Buffalo Sabres

Jordan Leopold – D – Signed three-year contract as free agent

Cody McCormick – LW – Signed one-way contract for next season

Carolina Hurricanes

Jonathan Matsumoto – C – Re-signed two-year contract

Anton Babchuk – D – Signed one-year contract

Jay Harrison - D - Re-signed one-year contract

Jiri Tlusty - C - Re-signed one-year contract

Calgary Flames

Alex Tanguay – Signed as free agent one-year contract

Olli Jokinen – C – Signed two-year contract

Raitis Ivanans - LW - Signed two-year contract

Tim Jackman - RW - Signed two-year contract

Chicago Blackhawks

John Scott - Signed two-year contract

Columbus Blue Jackets

Derek MacKenzie – C - Signed two-year contract

Nate Guenin – D - Signed one-year, two-way NHL/AHL contracts

Trevor Frischmon - Signed one-year, two-way NHL/AHL contracts

Kyle Wilson - Signed one-year, two-way NHL/AHL contracts

Tomas Kana - Signed one-year contract

Colorado Avalanche

Peter Budaj - G - Re-signed

Philippe Dupuis - Re-signed

David Koci - Signed

Ray Macias - Signed

Kevin Porter - Signed

Kyle Quincey - Signed two-year contract

Daniel Winnik - Signed two-year contract

Dallas Stars

Adam Burish –  RW - Signed two-year contract

Severin Blindenbacher – D – Signed one-year contract as free agent

Jace Coyle – D – Signed three-year contract as free agent

Andrew Raycroft – G – Signed two-year contract

Krys Barch - LW - Signed two-year contract 

Detroit Red Wings

Todd Bertuzzi - RW - Re-signed two-year contract

Tomas Holmstrom - LW - Re-signed two-year contract

Doug Janik - D - Re-signed two-year contract

Nicklas Lidstrom - D - Re-signed two-year contract

Edmonton Oilers

Colin Fraser – C – Signed two-year contract

Kurtis Foster – D – Signed two-year contract as free agent

Jason Strudwick – D – Signed one-year contract

Richard Petiot – D – Signed one-year contract

Florida Panthers

Christopher Higgins – Signed one-year contract

Los Angeles Kings

Montreal Canadiens

Alex Auld – G – Signed one-year contract as free agent

Frederic St. Denis – D – Signed one-year contract as free agent

Dustin Boyd – C – Signed one-year contract as free agent

Curtis Sanford – G – Signed one-year contract as free agent

Tom Pyatt - C - Re-signed one-year contract 

Tomas Plekanec - Signed six-year contract

Minnesota Wild

Guillaume Latendresse – LW – Re-signed two-year contract

Eric Nystrom – LW – Signed a three-year contract as free agent

Matt Cullen – C – Signed a three-year contract as free agent

Warren Peters – C – Signed two-year, two-way contract

Drew Bagnall –D – Signed one-year, two-way contract

James Sheppard - C - Re-signed one-year contract

Brad Staubitz - D - Signed two-year contract

Nashville Predators

Matthew Lombardi - Signed three-year contract

Francis Bouillon - Re-Signed two-year contract

New Jersey Devils

Henrik Tallinder – D - Signed four-year contract as free agent

Anton Volchenkov – D – Signed six-year contract as free agent

Johan Hedberg – G – Signed one-year contract as free agent

David Clarkson - C - Re-signed to three-year contract

New York Islanders

Mark Eaton – D – Signed two-year contract

Milan Jurcina – D – Signed one-year contract

Zenon Konopka – Signed

P.A. Parenteau – Signed

New York Rangers

Derek Boogaard – LW – Signed as free agent

Martin Biron – G – Signed as free agent

Vinny Prospal – LW – Signed as free agent

Derek Stepan – C – Signed

Erik Christensen – Re-signed two-year contract

Ottawa Senators

Sergei Gonchar– D – Signed three-year contract as free agent

Jesse Winchester – RW – Re-signed two-year contract

Philadelphia Flyers

Jody Shelley – LW – Signed three-year contract as free agent

Braydon Coburn – D – Re-signed two-year contract

Michael Leighton - G - Re-signed two-year contract

Phoenix Coyotes

Derek Morris – D – Signed four-year contract as free agent

Ray Whitney – LW – Signed two-year contract as free agent

Sami Lepisto – D – Re-signed one-year contract

Pittsburgh Penguins

Zbynek Michalek – D - Signed five-year contract as free agent

Paul Martin – D – Signed five-year contract as free agent

Matt Cooke - LW - Re-signed three-year contract

Steve Wagner - Signed one-year contract

San Jose Sharks

Antero Niittymaki – Signed two-year contract as free agent

Patrick Marleau - C - Re-signed four-year contract  

Joe Pavelski - C - Re-signed four-yera contract

Niclas Wallin - D - Re-signed one-year contract

St. Louis Blues

Alex Steen – C – Re-signed four-year contract

Vladimir Sobotka – C – signed one-year contract

Brad Winchester – Re-signed

Tampa Bay Lightning

Martin St. Louis – Signed four-year contract extension

Dan Ellis – Signed two-year contract as free agent

Pavel Kubina – Signed two-year contract as free agent

Toronto Maple Leafs

Colby Armstrong - RW – Signed as free agent

Vancouver Canucks

Joel Perrault – C – Signed one-year contract

Dan Hamhuis – D – Signed six-year contract as free agent

Jeff Tambellini – Signed one-year contract as free agent

Manny Malhotra – Signed three-year contract as free agent

Washington Capitals

Dany Sabourin – G – Signed one-year contract as free agent

Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter

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The NHL, better known by employees of the Phoenix Coyotes as “boss,” have fired team president Doug Moss and promoted Mike Nealy to the position, according to a TSN report.  Moss had been president since December, 2002.  The new president Nealy had been Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for the Coyotes.

The firing comes at an odd time.  The Coyotes made the playoffs last season and boosted their attendance significantly in the second half after making several key trade-deadline deals.  They took their only playoff series to seven games.  The timing is bizarre because the team is currently working out the details its sale to Ice Edge Holdings.  One would think the NHL would allow Ice Edge the opportunity to hire its own president.  The move may imply that the sale is far from being finalized.

Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter

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Well-known hockey writer Ken Campbell of The Hockey News is reporting that Donald Fehr, former executive director of the MLBPA (1986-2009), will continue running the NHL Players Association through the next round of collective bargaining agreement talks in 2012.

According to Campbell, “highly placed” sources from both the NHL and NHLPA told The Hockey News Fehr has decided to stay on under the position of interim executive director.  The retired former MLBPA head will groom a successor while guiding the union through CBA talks.

But who will be that successor?  After all, Fehr is in his 60s.  Campbell says it could be one of former NHL players Chris Chelios or Mathieu Schneider.

Fehr’s first few months, Campbell says, have been a major success.  He impressed agents in March, then “blew away” the executive committee, which consists of 30 player representatives.  It is believed that Fehr could be officially in place as interim executive director by the time the players hold their North American meetings July 13-14.

Here is Campbell’s analysis of Fehr’s reported new position:

“Let’s deal first of all with what it means to the NHLPA. This corner finds it interesting the PA seems ready to coronate Fehr – and that is in no way a comment on Fehr’s integrity, which is apparently beyond reproach. But you’d think an organization that has been as rife with dysfunction and as burned by its hiring process as the NHLPA would not be eager to simply hand the job to anyone, Fehr included.

"And let’s not forget Fehr is currently working on the constitution and if that isn’t a conflict of interest, it certainly creates the perception of one. From the people I’ve spoken to about this, Fehr has attained almost god-like status in the NHLPA and is seen as the savior who will deliver the union from the abyss. That, in and of itself, presents more than a few potential pitfalls.”

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