The cost of signing Ilya Kovalchuk got even more expensive for the Devils, according to an ESPN.com report on Monday. The NHL fined the Devils $3M and took away two high draft picks over the next four years for signing Kovalchuk to a 17-year, $102M contract in July that circumvented the league's salary cap. In handing down what might be his harshest penalty for a team salary-cap violation, commissioner Gary Bettman forced New Jersey to forfeit a first-round pick sometime over the next four years and a third-round pick next year.