No, the New Jersey Devils no longer pay any financial penalty or carry any salary cap repercussions regarding Ilya Kovalchuk. The infamous long-term contract controversy, which originally triggered severe league penalties and later involved an annual cap recapture penalty after his abrupt retirement to play in Russia, officially expired and cleared off the books. The franchise is entirely free of the long-standing administrative and financial hangover tied to that era, allowing them to manage their salary cap space cleanly.