According to Darren Dreger of The Sporting News and Nick Kypreos of Sportsnet, the NHL and the NHLPA have reached an agreement on CBA amendments, clearing the way for Ilya Kovalchuk’s 15-year, $100 million contract to be approved.

Read more on the decision after the jump

Today marks yet another “deadline day” in the Ilya Kovalchuk Saga. By 5 p.m., the league will announce whether or not they will accept a 15-year, $100 million contract between the Devils and Kovalchuk last Friday, August 27.

Read after the jump for information about today's deadline.

Throughout the offseason, Running With The Devils will preview the Devils 2010-2011 schedule, giving you an in-depth preview of the 29 other teams the Devils will face next season. Last season, the Devils took first place in the Atlantic Division and second in the Eastern Conference. This season, the team will look to improve on their abysmal playoff performance, which saw them bow out in the first round at the hands of the Philadelphia Flyers. In today’s second preview, we take a look at this season’s matchup with the Los Angeles Kings.

Continue after the jump for the preview!

Throughout the offseason, Running With The Devils will preview the Devils 2010-2011 schedule, giving you an in-depth preview of the 29 other teams the Devils will face next season. Last season, the Devils took first place in the Atlantic Division and second in the Eastern Conference. This season, the team will look to improve on their abysmal playoff performance. In today’s first preview, we take a look at this season’s matchup with the Anaheim Ducks.

Continue after the jump for the preview!

It’ll be another two days before anyone knows the fate of the proposed Ilya Kovalchuk contract.

The NHL and NHLPA agreed to extend the deadline to accept or reject the deal, which was scheduled for 5 p.m. Eastern Time today, to Friday at 5 p.m. The 15-year, $100 million deal was submitted to the league for approval on Friday, giving the league five days to make its decision. If the league did not make an announcement by 5 p.m. today, then the contract would have automatically been accepted and registered.

Continue after the jump for more details on the decision.

The Devils organization, its fans and Ilya Kovalchuk will once again spend a day waiting to hear a definitive decision on whether or not an agreement between team and player will be accepted by the NHL.

While a general uneasiness fills this day, I believe that, by 5 p.m. today, Kovalchuk will officially be a New Jersey Devil for the next 15 years.

Why would I exude such optimism on this contract? The Devils and Kovalchuk both worked with the league during its formation, and the league differs sharply from the one rejected by the NHL and systems arbitrator Richard Bloch earlier this summer. With a better structure in place, the deal should pass the test of the league. After the jump are my reasons for believing the contract will pass.

Throughout the offseason, Running With The Devils will preview the Devils 2010-2011 schedule, giving you an in-depth preview of the 29 other teams the Devils will face next season. Last season, the Devils took first place in the Atlantic Division and second in the Eastern Conference. This season, the team will look to improve on their abysmal playoff performance. In today’s preview, we take a look at this season’s matchup with the San Jose Sharks.

While browsing through my daily hockey reading, I came upon an interesting story on Puck Daddy. The NHL Network, a substandard highlight network for the NHL, will undergo some serious changes in the near future. The changes made should finally bring relevance to the channel and give hockey fans a reason to watch the network.

Continue after the jump to see the proposed changes to the league's network!

Throughout the offseason, Running With The Devils will preview the Devils 2010-2011 schedule, giving you an in-depth preview of the 29 other teams the Devils will face next season. Last season, the Devils took first place in the Atlantic Division and second in the Eastern Conference. This season, the team will look to improve on their abysmal playoff performance. Earlier today, I previewed the Devils’ matchup with the Montreal Canadiens. For today’s second preview, we take a look at the Devils’ cross-river rival- the New York Rangers.

Continue reading after the jump for the preview!