"If Paul Kelly were still in charge of the [NHLPA], this wouldn't even be an issue," Edwards said on 98.5 The Sports Hub. "They already would have appealed the thing, and it would have been a big stink."
Kelly, a Boston lawyer, was named executive director of the NHLPA in 2007 but was forced out of the position last summer under questionable circumstances. Since then, the association has not shown the ability to operate effectively — something Edwards said could spell trouble down the road.
"I think if the players' association can tie its shoes and not fall down, that would be a positive step," Edwards said on The Sports Hub. "I hope the players' association can become a functional body once again, because we are sort of chugging along toward the end of another collective bargaining agreement and now we have a major issue and they've gotta settle the thing."
In Edwards' opinion, the NHL's rejection of Kovalchuk's 17-year contract is arbitrary, especially considering Rick DiPietro's 15-year deal with the Islanders and Marian Hossa's 12-year agreement with the Blackhawks aren't all that different. For that matter, Tim Thomas' cap-friendly five-year deal and Marc Savard's seven-year pact aren't all that dissimilar to Kovalchuk's.
"It seems arbitrary to me. At what point do you draw the line? Where is the limit?" he said. "Why is DiPietro's 15-year contract OK, and Kovalchuk signs for 17 years as a much more productive player, and it's not OK?
"Is it obvious what New Jersey's trying to do? Yes it is, but is it illegal? I don't think so."
