Kovalchuk to Devils!!!

[Apache 51]

[adb280z]

Love this deal for the Devils.

[DevsJetsYanks88]

Originally Posted by adb280z

Love this deal for the Devils.

Me too. It seems like everyone is saying this is only a rental, but I have a feeling Lou has something up his sleeve. I bet he inks Kovy long term.

[DevsJetsYanks88]

[Big L]

Wow, I didn't see that coming.

So it's a rental? nhl.com is saying Ilya turned down some ridiculous cash, one deal like $70M over 7 years, and another like $111M over 12 years with the Thrashers. Atlanta said they just couldnt pay that to one guy and still have $ left to sign others.

What will the Devs do if Ilya demands the same or better offers? than that?

[DevsJetsYanks88]

Originally Posted by Big L

Wow, I didn't see that coming.

So it's a rental? nhl.com is saying Ilya turned down some ridiculous cash, one deal like $70M over 7 years, and another like $111M over 12 years with the Thrashers. Atlanta said they just couldnt pay that to one guy and still have $ left to sign others.

What will the Devs do if Ilya demands the same or better offers? than that?

Hard to say. I'm hoping playing on a consistent winning team may help Kovy have a change of heart. I really feel like Lamoriello has something up his sleeve.

[Big L]

It'll be interesting to see how it plays out.

And my bad - my last post should have said $101M over 12 years, not $111M. Sorry.

[Led Halen]

I didn't see this deal coming either. Congrats to the Devils fans....this was a sick deal. Kinda reminds me a little of the deal the Pens pulled two years ago to get Hossa.....and not just bc both deals were with Atlanta. Needless to say this deal makes the Devils even scarier this year.

[Bay Ridge Jet]

Originally Posted by DevsJetsYanks88

Hard to say. I'm hoping playing on a consistent winning team may help Kovy have a change of heart. I really feel like Lamoriello has something up his sleeve.

he's going to hit the open market.

considering what they gave up, Lou made a genius rental. He trades down in the first round basically if you factor in the swapping of 2nd round picks. Comier is always hurt, Bergfors is good but apparently he didnt fit what they were doing, and Oduya is solid but replaceable. Having an elite goal score like Kovy makes them a top Eastern team but they still need help at the blue line.

Lou made this deal knowing hell have cap space in the offseason to try and woo him but he's going to have to outbid everyone else.

[DevsJetsYanks88]

Originally Posted by Bay Ridge Jet

he's going to hit the open market.

considering what they gave up, Lou made a genius rental. He trades down in the first round basically if you factor in the swapping of 2nd round picks. Comier is always hurt, Bergfors is good but apparently he didnt fit what they were doing, and Oduya is solid but replaceable. Having an elite goal score like Kovy makes them a top Eastern team but they still need help at the blue line.

Lou made this deal knowing hell have cap space in the offseason to try and woo him but he's going to have to outbid everyone else.

Don't get me wrong, I agree that's the likely scenario, just some wishful thinking out of me I suppose.

[southside]

Coming from a Thrasher fan let me say this much, we loved Kovy but hated his ineptitude on the defensive side of the game. He literally didn't care to play defense which is why he's has a horrible career +-. He could score some goals, but he's easily frustrated which leads to him turning over the puck in abundance. He'll score some goals, but he'll also be the direct reason a goal was scored against.


All in all, there are very mixed reactions in Atlanta to this news. But this much I can tell you, you will not resign Kovalchuk. He had an unmovable stance of making the cap max for 12 years. His agent, Jay Grossman, has been the guy making some of the most lucrative yet ludicrous deals the NHL has ever seen and he tried to get another pay day out of Atlanta. Not happening.

Kovy has long been attracted to the KHL because they can and will pay him much more money than the NHL can and it's tax free. It's widely believed that he's going there after this season where he'll return home and make boatloads of money and be worshiped like a God. Anyone who thinks Kovy isn't 100% about the money doesn't know anything about him.

All in all, you will have some pretty exciting games coming up... as you well know first hand since we have some epic comebacks against the Devils... Kovy can catch fire in the 3rd and score a hat trick out of no where. He's that good offensively. But he's never been scrutinized down here for his lack of interest in playing defense let alone his coasting around which he's infamous for. That will change in NJ as I'm 100% sure he will be called out by a fanbase that doesn't tolerate such crappy defensive play. He's not a two way player, never has been. He'll score goals, just be prepared to get pretty damn frustrated with him too. He could be great, but it seems like he just doesn't have the work ethic.

Anyone care to share a little insight on what you guys gave up? How would you rate Oduya, Bergfors, and Cormier. I know Cormier had that elbowing incident, but besides that he was team captain for Jr Canada which is probably a pretty good honor to have. He sounds like a hot head, tough guy, with a good offensive touch. Thrashers need more players like him. He'll probably be in the lineup next season. I know Bergfors has pretty much similar production to Evander Kane and their both rookies, so to me that's a win to get another Kane like rookie. I don't know anything about Oduya except that he's an Olympic Defenseman and considered to be a Top 4 on any team. Anyone add any of the finer points on these players?

[DevsJetsYanks88]

Originally Posted by southside

Coming from a Thrasher fan let me say this much, we loved Kovy but hated his ineptitude on the defensive side of the game. He literally didn't care to play defense which is why he's has a horrible career +-. He could score some goals, but he's easily frustrated which leads to him turning over the puck in abundance. He'll score some goals, but he'll also be the direct reason a goal was scored against.


All in all, there are very mixed reactions in Atlanta to this news. But this much I can tell you, you will not resign Kovalchuk. He had an unmovable stance of making the cap max for 12 years. His agent, Jay Grossman, has been the guy making some of the most lucrative yet ludicrous deals the NHL has ever seen and he tried to get another pay day out of Atlanta. Not happening.

Kovy has long been attracted to the KHL because they can and will pay him much more money than the NHL can and it's tax free. It's widely believed that he's going there after this season where he'll return home and make boatloads of money and be worshiped like a God. Anyone who thinks Kovy isn't 100% about the money doesn't know anything about him.

All in all, you will have some pretty exciting games coming up... as you well know first hand since we have some epic comebacks against the Devils... Kovy can catch fire in the 3rd and score a hat trick out of no where. He's that good offensively. But he's never been scrutinized down here for his lack of interest in playing defense let alone his coasting around which he's infamous for. That will change in NJ as I'm 100% sure he will be called out by a fanbase that doesn't tolerate such crappy defensive play. He's not a two way player, never has been. He'll score goals, just be prepared to get pretty damn frustrated with him too. He could be great, but it seems like he just doesn't have the work ethic.

Anyone care to share a little insight on what you guys gave up? How would you rate Oduya, Bergfors, and Cormier. I know Cormier had that elbowing incident, but besides that he was team captain for Jr Canada which is probably a pretty good honor to have. He sounds like a hot head, tough guy, with a good offensive touch. Thrashers need more players like him. He'll probably be in the lineup next season. I know Bergfors has pretty much similar production to Evander Kane and their both rookies, so to me that's a win to get another Kane like rookie. I don't know anything about Oduya except that he's an Olympic Defenseman and considered to be a Top 4 on any team. Anyone add any of the finer points on these players?

Nice post and good info on Kovy.

Bergfors is a nice player who projects to be a Top 6 forward. He started off the year strong showing the nice potential, but recently has shown signs of "rookie fatigue" and has just looked slow out there. He's even been scratched a few games. His drop off in production coupled with the absence of Elias in the lineup has been the reason for our recent offensive struggles and slump. We were counting on him to step up and take some of that load. He's got the potential to be a real nice player for you guys.

You are correct about Oduya being a Top 4 D-man. He was injured earlier this season and has been having somewhat of a down year once his return. I would expect him to get back to form though, and be a nice player for you in the future. Not much offensive production out of him and he doesn't have much of a shot, but a stellar D-man nevertheless. I'd say he's reached his potential in terms of Top 4 D-man, you just need to hope he returns to that form. I expect he will.

You know as much as I do about Cormier. Just know he had that elbowing incident in which he was suspended for the remainder of the season, I believe. I'm not as knowledgeable as I would like to be about our farm system, but I know Tedenby, Palmieri, and Josefson were all names rumored at one point to be in the deal, and I'm very happy we kept all those guys and parted with Cormier.

Overall, I'd say it's a fair deal. The Devils paid a price tag like they're getting a rental player, which will likely be the case (Although I have faith in Lamoriello to work some magic ). I also feel you guys got some nice value in return for a guy who wouldn't have been on your team next year anyway. Hope that helps you out a bit.

[southside]

Originally Posted by DevsJetsYanks88

Nice post and good info on Kovy.

Bergfors is a nice player who projects to be a Top 6 forward. He started off the year strong showing the nice potential, but recently has shown signs of "rookie fatigue" and has just looked slow out there. He's even been scratched a few games. His drop off in production coupled with the absence of Elias in the lineup has been the reason for our recent offensive struggles and slump. We were counting on him to step up and take some of that load. He's got the potential to be a real nice player for you guys.

You are correct about Oduya being a Top 4 D-man. He was injured earlier this season and has been having somewhat of a down year once his return. I would expect him to get back to form though, and be a nice player for you in the future. Not much offensive production out of him and he doesn't have much of a shot, but a stellar D-man nevertheless. I'd say he's reached his potential in terms of Top 4 D-man, you just need to hope he returns to that form. I expect he will.

You know as much as I do about Cormier. Just know he had that elbowing incident in which he was suspended for the remainder of the season, I believe. I'm not as knowledgeable as I would like to be about our farm system, but I know Tedenby, Palmieri, and Josefson were all names rumored at one point to be in the deal, and I'm very happy we kept all those guys and parted with Cormier.

Overall, I'd say it's a fair deal. The Devils paid a price tag like they're getting a rental player, which will likely be the case (Although I have faith in Lamoriello to work some magic ). I also feel you guys got some nice value in return for a guy who wouldn't have been on your team next year anyway. Hope that helps you out a bit.

Sure did, I appreciate it. I pretty much assumed as much about Oduya, and we have another Sweede in Toby Enstrom that he can pair up with who will provide all the offense we need out of our DMen. The problem with our guys is that we keep getting more offensive minded DMen and we needed better stay at home types that defend really well. I expect that's what we got in Oduya.

In terms of Cormier, I'm hearing that he's the guy we wanted and until the elbowing incident he was on the Devils untradeable list. In fact, he said they were very reluctant to offer them up but I assume wanted to give us one of the guys you mentioned. Supposedly our associate GM Dudley really likes this kid.

Bergfors I think will REALLY excel in John Anderson's system. It's very offensively minded. Really I hope they change their system to a more balanced approach which is what I'm assuming they are doing. It's nice to get a young guy with potential... it sucks to lose Kovy... but alot of the fanbase is excited to see a change in mindset from our team. When Kovy was there, it was all about Kovy and we never won anything. Now we're gonna play more like a team, much like when he was out earlier this year. I think we'll be ok.

Either way, you got yourself a damn good sniper, best in the world. I'm sure you've got what it takes to bring home another Cup. I like the Devils, love Putty painting his face screaming DEVILS in Seinfeld too.

[extra714]

They got him for nothing, Johnny Oduya, a low first round pick and a prospect. I can't believe it. Meanwhile we're still stuck with Redden (total stiff) Rosival (also a stiff) and Drury (huge contract for penalty killing and faceoffs). I am so totally sickened.