The biggest free agent of the summer of 2010, Ilya Kovalchuk, has finally signed a deal.  He’ll be taking his talents… no where.  He’s staying in New Jersey.  In classic Kevin Durant style, this deal was announced on twitter.

Terms of the deal haven’t been disclosed, which is the NJ Devils club policy – always has been.

As a Devils fan, this deal is the icing on the cake of a great summer.  Defenseman Paul Martin, who only played something like 15 games last year, and has never quite lived up to the hype, was allowed to walk (he ended up joining MIB’s Penguins).  NJ, in turn, brought in defensemen Anton Volchenkov and Henrik Tallinder.  Jason Arnott, who scored the cup-clinching overtime goal in 2000, was reacquired, and former Devil legend John MacLean has been named the new head coach.

All of these moves are very solid moves, in my eyes.

Bringing in Kovalchuk won’t be cheap, obviously, but it makes New Jersey a legitimate Cup contender this year, and for the immediate future.  Kovalchuk was solid yet unspectacular for the Devils last season, but you can chalk that up to playing for a new team for the first time in his career.  Now he’ll have a full training camp and season to gel with this group of players, and that can only mean great things.

In order to fit Kovalchuk under the cap, a few Devils will have to be let go before September.  It won’t be anybody key to the club’s success this season.

Look for Kovalchuk, new acquisitions Tallinder, Arnott, & Volchenkov, and an infusion of youth including Swedes Jacob Josefson and Mattias Tedenby, to help the Devils compete with the Penguins and Flyers all season long for another Atlantic Division title.  More importantly, maybe this is the year New Jersey recaptures its postseason magic and puts together a serious run for the Cup.

Only time will tell.  For now, Devil fans can celebrate the fact that Kovalchuk returns – even if we weren’t his first choice.