BOSTON — The Boston Bruins said they’re cooperating with the NHL in its investigation of Marc Savard’s contract.

The league is looking into Savard’s contract after voiding one with a similar structure that went to New Jersey’s Ilya Kovalchuk. The Devils had agreed to pay Kovalchuk $102 million over 17 years, with much of the money coming upfront. An arbitrator agreed that was meant to circumvent the salary cap.

Kovalchuk is back on the free agent market. It’s not clear what would happen if the league determines there’s a problem with the extension Savard signed last year. It pays him $28 million over seven years, with about $1 million of it in the last two years.

The league registered Savard’s contract in December but told the Bruins it would investigate. Boston General Manager Peter Chiarelli said he met with league lawyers last week.

 

DEVILS: New Jersey is working on another deal to sign Ilya Kovalchuk, less than 24 hours after an arbitrator ruled the NHL acted correctly in voiding Kovalchuk’s $102 million contract with New Jersey.

Lou Lamoriello, team president and general manager, refused on to comment on the decision by Richard Bloch, who on Monday ruled that Kovalchuk’s 17-year contract, the longest deal in league history, violated the league’s salary cap.

The Devils obviously will have to take a bigger salary cap hit if they reach a new and probably shorter deal with the 27-year-old Kovalchuk.

Under the deal voided by the league, Kovalchuk would have only counted for $6 million annually against the cap. The lower cap value resulted because he would have been paid just $550,000 in each of the last five years of the contract.

• New Jersey filled out the coaching staffs of its minor-league teams in Albany, N.Y., and Trenton, N.J.

Trenton Coach Rick Kowalsky was promoted to head coach of the Albany Devils of the AHL. He will be assisted by Tommy Albelin, who was on Jacques Lemaire’s staff with the Devils last season.

Kevin Dean will replace Kowalsky as coach of the ECHL’s Trenton Devils.

 

WILD: Minnesota hired Rick Wilson as an assistant on Coach Todd Richards’ staff.

Wilson will replace Mike Ramsey, the longtime assistant who stepped down earlier this summer.

The 60-year-old Wilson was an associate coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning last season. He has spent most of his pro coaching career with the Dallas Stars, including 16 seasons as an assistant and associate coach.

 

BLUE JACKETS: Columbus re-signed Mike Blunden to a one-year contract, General Manager Scott Howson confirmed.

The 23-year-old Blunden had two goals and two assists in 40 games with the Blue Jackets in 2009-10. He also had seven goals and nine assists in 25 games with Columbus’ AHL affiliate in Syracuse.

 

RED WINGS: Detroit signed 25-year-old forward Jamie Tardif to a one-year, two-way contract. No further details were disclosed.

Tardif spent the last four seasons with the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL. In 2009-10, he had 16 goals and 17 assists.

 

PREDATORS: Longtime Tampa Bay executive Sean Henry is leaving to become the Nashville team president.

 

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