Wednesday was supposed to be the day of all days. The New Jersey Devils and Ilya Kovalchuk submitted a contract last Friday, and by rule of the CBA, the NHL was to supposed to accept or reject the contract by Wednesday, 5 p.m. ET. Instead, the NHL and NHLPA mutually agreed to extend the deadline 48 hours to Friday 5 p.m. ET. So Friday will be the day of all days, at least for now. Here's some links around the hockey world pertaining to this fiasco.

Lamoriello statement on deadline extension - Shortly after the NHL announced the extension, Devils President/CEO/GM Lou Lamoriello issued a very basic, predictable statement. He, the Devils, and Kovalchuk have no authority here, and just have to sit and wait until Friday afternoon. Lamoriello is staying positive about the submitted contract.

No decision today on Ilya Kovalchuk contract; deadline extended - Rich Chere of The Star-Ledger has a good breakdown
of the Kovalchuk Saga. He also put up a year-by-year breakdown of the 15yrs/$100million contract that was submitted.

Devils right wing David Clarkson tests endurance in ride with Lance Armstrong - OK, this has nothing to do with Ilya Kovalchuk. But if you're sick of hearing his name, and words like "circumvention" or "Collective Bargaining Agreement," then I suggest reading this by Tom Gulitti of the Bergen Record.

More photos » DARRYL DYCK - AP

No truth to the rumor that Kevin Sellathamby shot this puck at Vesa Toskala (AP Photo/The Canadian Press,Darryl Dyck)

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Well, it's August 19th, we are in the dog days of summer and there is minimal hockey news out there.   Tom Gulitti hasn't had a new post in almost a week  and that post was about Brian Burke/Tomas Kaberle.  Rich Chere hasn't posted anything new since Sunday and that story was about Charlie Finley and the California Golden Seals.  Despite the bizarre happenings of  Ilya Kovalchuk's re-signing, contract rejection and failed arbitration hearing it certainly has been an exciting summer for Devils fans.  Whether you love the changes in direction the team has had or think they made some bad mistakes it is nice to have some hockey issues to talk about.  This summer, much more than most, provided me with some new lessons and I wanted to share what I have learned this offseason with the community.    After the jump you will find out what I learned!

Please note the below are all my opinions, are free to be debated and as you should be able to deduce some are tongue in cheek.

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Andy Marlin - Andy Marlin/Getty Images for the

It wouldn't surprise me if all of these people here read In Lou We Trust. I know of at least one person in this photo does. (Photo by Andy Marlin/Getty Images for the New Jersey Devils)

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Sometime yesterday, a milestone has been hit with respect to In Lou We Trust.  We've had our one millionth page view and several thousand more.  Here's the snapshot of the all-time stats I'm privy to as managing editor.

The past week really put the site over the top between the NHL Draft, the moves made prior to the opening of NHL free agency, and, of course, the first two days of free agency.   In fact, July 1 smashed day records for the site with 4,146 unique visitors and 15,289 page views.  The people do get up for Free Agency Frenzy, especially when the New Jersey Devils signed 3 new players in Henrik Tallinder, Anton Volchenkov, and Johan Hedberg as well as a re-signed player in Rod Pelley. 

In any case, let me take this moment to thank all of you.  In Lou We Trust moved to SBNation in November of 2008 thanks to the recruitment by James Mirtle, and I debuted with this post.  Since then, my own writing has improved; the Devils have done, well, a lot; and the site has grown dramatically to the point where you can even buy an In Lou We Trust shirt. From 2008 on, I've added new writers (Tibbs and Steve Lepore came on in 2009; Matt, Kevin, and Tom, this summer); more people have joined the site with some who have contributed plenty via comments, FanPosts, and FanShot; and even more have read it.

I'm really impressed that I've done nothing more than just write something Devils-related every day when possible regardless of whether people want to read it or not.  The only self-promotion I've done is that tell people I meet at Devils games that I do this site (and I thank them double for having to put up with me in the process). I'm very proud that the attention has grown largely due to word of mouth.  I'm very thankful to any and all sites who have linked to and continue to link to something they liked on the site - be it from a forum, a Devils blog, another blog on the SBN network, or a big hockey site like Puck Daddy.

Most of all, I thank you - the reader.  Again, I am constantly amazed that people of all kinds from all over the world, from a Devils fan in NJ to someone who works for the Devils to hockey fans far away from NJ, are interested enough to what I have to say - long-winded as it may be.  I appreciate you all and I hope to keep up the quality in the future. 

In any case, please use the comments in this thread as an Open Thread for NHL Free Agency or the site for the three-day weekend. Talk about what other teams are doing, what the latest reports are from credible people, and what you want the Devils to do going forward.  With Ilya Kovalchuk still undecided, there's plenty of intrigue out there.  Of course, if something big breaks Devils-wise, then we'll be on it. Please follow the rules at all times, and please, please, please do not report rumors as news or fake news.  Link to sources (actually link to them, don't just dump the URL in the text box and hit post - this includes Tweets); give credit to sources; and actually listen to good, reliable people (e.g. Gulitti, Chere, anyone at TSN or CBC, CapGeek, Not Hockeybuzz).  This gives respect to the sources and let's everyone who's reading this know what's really up.

And again, I cannot say this enough, thank you.

Andy Marlin - Andy Marlin/Getty Images for the

Well, the last time I did a post like this, I used this picture of Zach with the kids. Why not use it again? Zach Parise is for the children! (Photo by Andy Marlin/Getty Images for the New Jersey Devils)

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Back on May 26, 2010, I put up a post requesting new writers from the In Lou We Trust community.  The rules were detailed, no compensation was promised outside of being able to write on the front page, and I allowed a little less than 2 weeks for audition posts to be showcased.

I received 7 entries from ILWT users - both relatively new and long standing users.  I've posted them up throughout the last week to gauge an initial reaction.  I decided to select 3 writers out of the 7, however let it be said that I'm very appreciative of all 7 users who had the courage and put the time & effort in to write an audition post at all. 

I don't want to hear about how so-and-so shouldn't have bothered to enter. I don't want to hear sniping on who did and did not get selected. If anything, all 7 deserve some sort of gratitude for taking a chance to put something together and willing to have it privately and publicly judged.  I certainly am thankful for their efforts, you should be too. (It also goes without saying that I won't be second guessed on these decisions.)

Therefore, it is only right that I actually point out who wrote what so they get their deserved recognition.

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Andy Marlin - Andy Marlin/Getty Images for the

For no reason at all, here's Zach Parise surrounded by the kids he read to today. Zach Parise is for the kids. (Photo by Andy Marlin/Getty Images for the New Jersey Devils)

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Since launching on November 2008 on SBN, and on October 2006 on Blogspot, In Lou We Trust has grown dramatically.  On SBN alone, as of this writing, this blog has tallied 850,165 page views (and growing), 460,115 visits (and growing), and 1,061 users (and growing).   While I've added Tibbs as a news-link poster and Steve Lepore for breaking news and GameThread management; most of the 1,105 stories have been written by me.  A labor of love, indeed.

I believe for the site to take it to the next level - and ensuring it's the third best Devils blog on the Internet - more voices are needed.  And it could be your voice that I'll need.

Basically, I'd like to add a few writers and who better to draw them from but from you, the ILWT Community.  While the SBN platform allows users to post up FanPosts and FanShots in addition to just comments, those who have access as writers have more powers.  The ability to post directly to the front page. The ability to distribute posts through various avenues.  The ability to have more say in the direction of this site; and a few more perks.   Maybe you've written a few FanPosts and feel you can handle more responsibilities.  Maybe you've never written a post in your life, but you have plenty to say and an actual, reasoned out argument.    Whoever or wherever you are, if this interests you, then this is your chance.

Please read on for the important ground rules.  Again, this is a labor of love, so I'm setting some important ground rules for what essentially is an open audition.   Essentially, those interested will send me pieces, I'll post them anonymously so no one can be biased by the user, and the community will vote as to whether they like it or not.

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I’m going to be out for the evening, yelling at people representing Columbus, Ohio in professional soccer. In lieu of, say, Paul Martin’s on-ice impact in 2007-08, the first season he was leading defenseman on New Jersey or a look at Ilya Kovalchuk’s on-ice impact from this past season; I’m going to indulge in some navel-gazing. Don't worry, it's just for tonight.

If that doesn’t interest you, take a look at SB Nation’s coverage of the USHL Futures Draft. Why? Given the growth of the USHL in terms of quantity and quality, more and more USHL graduates are appearing in the NHL. It is the United States’ Tier 1 Junior league, after all. Plus, if you go to Western College Hockey Blog, you can get even more about the USHL entry draft including profiles on the newest organizations in the league. For all you know, the New Jersey Devils of a few years from now could very well include some of these players. As they used to say, keep on scrolling.

Also, please feel free to use this post for an open-ish thread. Talk about tonight's Eastern Conference Final Game 3; hopefully, Montreal can stop suffering from all the bounces finally going against them and beat the Flyers. Please also use the comments to make suggestions on what you want to see on In Lou We Trust in coming weeks, in addition to responding to the following dollop of navel-gazing writing. Maybe there's something you're interested in. Maybe you'd like to see something different (content? a new writer?) Maybe there's something you asked and I stupidly forgot it or didn't go all the way through it. I can't read your mind, so please tell me what's on it with respect to this site.

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This weekend, the New Jersey Devils will play their final two games of the season.  It'll be Fan Appreciation Weekend as the Devils will take on the New York Islanders on Saturday at 7 PM EDT and the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday at 5 PM EDT. Here at In Lou We Trust, it's going to be Commenting for Charity Weekend.

For each comment posted on both GameThreads, I will be contributing an additional $0.15 to TEAMJLO, an ovarian cancer education and fund raising group.

The organization was set up by the Lopez family in honor of their mother and friend, Janice Lopez - the aforementioned JLO - who was struck by ovarian cancer several years ago. While Janice Lopez is no longer with us, the fight against ovarian cancer continues.  Incidentally, I've contributed to them in the past and know the Lopez family personally, so while it's a smaller outfit, they are involved in the fight.  They've been working together with the Sandy Rollman Ovarian Cancer Foundation since 2005 as well as the Kaleidoscope of Hope (link goes to NJ affiliate).

If you can't come and comment, feel free to check out the above links where you can find information on donation.

If you do plan on commenting, great.  If you want to tell your friends and others about it, then great.  I'll even temporarily remove the wait period for users to become active tomorrow in advance for the weekend.  All I ask is that for both days that you follow the rules - seriously, no spam, not even well-intentioned spam , it'll just slow things down - and avoid posting images as it'll slow down the threads.   Should this go smoothly, I'll try to do this sort of thing a more in the future.  

In the meantime, let's end the season cheering on the Devils for success while doing a little good.  

According to Tom Gulitti, Devils defenseman Paul Martin will return to the lineup for tonight's game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.  It'll be the first time since October 24th, coincidentally against the Penguins, when Martin took a shot in the forearm from Bill Guerin.  Mark Fraser and Anssi Salmela will sit out tonight, as Jersey's Team's best defenseman is finally back in his rightful spot.

"It's been a long time coming," Martin said. "It's just exciting to be around the guys and get back in there and play a game. I'm trying not to get too excited, but I think it will be fun."

Martin had a brief chat on the ice at the end of the morning skate with Devils coach Jacques Lemaire, who skated over to him to discuss whether he would play tonight.

"He asked how I felt and I said, ‘good' and that was about it," Martin said.

Lemaire said it was essentially Martin's decision that he would play tonight.

"He made it," Lemaire said. "That's how it works. He's just got to come and say I'‘m playing and he plays."

Lemaire said that Martin "probably" would not play in Thursday's game in Toronto, but left open the possibility of changing his mind depending on how Martin plays and feels after the game tonight.

If that isn't the Devil way, I don't know what is.  In other injury news related to tonight's game, Pensburgh mentioned yesterday that Evgeni Malkin may not play, and that enforcer Eric Godard may return to the lineup for tonight's game.  Also, Jay Pandolfo will tap in for PL3 on the Jersey side.  With all the buzz surrounding tonight's game and the emotional boost from the return of Paul Martin, tonight is shaping up to be a pretty must-see atmosphere at the Prudential Center. 

UPDATE: Malkin will not, in fact, play tonight.