Kovalchuk dealt to New Jersey in sad, expected ending
Here's Ilya Kovalchuk going against the Devils' Johnny Oduya. Just switch the uniforms now.
This is generally how these things end. A star goes one way. A large package of some undetermined substance and quality goes the other.
This isn’t a new practice with the Thrashers, just an evolving one. The names keep getting bigger. Dealing Ray Ferraro and Jiri Slegr in the early days came with limited blowback. They were late in their careers. But then another impending free agent, Donald Audette, couldn’t come to terms and was traded to Montreal for an obscure prospect named Kamil Piros. (Unfortunate early analysis from then-coach Curt Fraser: “The greatest player in Czechoslovakia.”). Then Marian Hossa wouldn’t re-sign and was dealt to Pittsburgh.
Now it’s Ilya Kovalchuk’s turn.
This isn’t just a trend any more. It’s a disturbing franchise trait, with no sign of change in sight.
Kovalchuk was traded Thursday night to New Jersey. His exit was predictable since last season, when the team struggled (again), failed to amend for past mistakes (again), failed to accurately gauge the market (again) and in the end was forced to desperately deal him for another questionable package of players and prospects. It’s a nice trade-up for Kovalchuk. He goes from a franchise that has never won a playoff game to one that has won three Stanley Cups, four conference championships and nine division titles since 1994-95.
Lou Lamoriello, the Devils’ general manager, doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. Don Waddell? He has been the architect of disaster central in Atlanta since Day 1. Anybody want to venture how this one turns out?
“I don’t think it sets us back at all,” Waddell said after the deal. “I think it moves us forward.”
Yes. He really said that.
It’s another quantity-for-quality trade. That’s the way these things work. The Devils get Kovalchuk, Atlanta’s all-time leading scorer (328 goals, 615 points, in 594 games) and defenseman Anssi Salmela. The Thrashers get right wing Niclas Bergfors, defenseman Johnny Oduya, troubled prospect Patrice Cormier and a first-round draft pick. The teams also will swap second-round draft picks.
Bergfors? A nice young player, hardly a star (27 points in 54 games). Oduya? A solid puck-moving defenseman. Cormier? A train wreck. He elbowed a player in the Quebec juniors, sending himto the hospital, and has been suspended for the season. The No. 1 pick? Maybe this one works out. And stays.
At least Waddell didn’t slam Kovalchuk going out the door. He was given a chance to say Kovalchuk only cares about money. Instead, he reiterated what Kovalchuk has been saying all along (the screams of short-sighted critics notwithstanding): “I think, Kovy right to the last day, wanted to be a Thrasher. But it’s a business decision.”
Waddell knew he would get slammed for this. Earlier Thursday, in hopes of swaying public opinion, he released a statement including some of the team’s contract offers to Kovalchuk. But the offers — $70 million over seven years ($10 million per year) and $101 million for 12 years ($8.42 average) — already had appeared in Wednesday’s Journal-Constitution. So his intended thunder was muted.
It never should have come to this. Kovalchuk is one of the NHL’s few elite players and has been since he entered the league in 2001. He’s on pace to score 40-plus goals for the sixth consecutive season. That’s a rare commodity in the NHL. But he has been frustrated by the team’s lack of success. The Thrashers have reached the postseason once. Attendance has declined. Concern over the club’s future fed into Kovalchuk’s desire to ask for the maximum salary allowed by the collective bargaining agreement: $11.3 million per season for 10 to 12 years. He asked for the only thing he felt he could control, and he had the leverage of unrestricted free agency. Unless he immediately signs an extension with the Devils, Kovalchuk will become the highest-profile unrestricted free agent in his prime in NHL history.
It’s another ugly ending. Two years ago, it was Hossa. He went to Pittsburgh, and the Thrashers celebrated the package they got back. But look at it now: Colby Armstrong (third-line winger, impending free agent), Erik Christensen (washed out), Angelo Esposito (flawed prospect) a No. 1 pick (Daultan Leveille, Michigan State).
Maybe this deal turns out better. But history tells us otherwise. Another star was just shipped out of town. This is where we came in.
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453 comments Add your comment
M&Em
February 4th, 2010
9:19 pm
New Eminem (or is that enima?) song – Philps Arena is just empty without me!
4 jacks
February 4th, 2010
9:20 pm
This ownership group is just beyond pathetic. I will not blame Wadell, though I will not defend him, until the ownership puts a couple of bulletts in the gun to see what he can do. The owners are to blame, and the shame of it all, the Atlanta fans will end up taking the hit as bad sports fans when the Thrashers move. To the ownership of the franchise “GO TO HELL” .
Tincup9
February 4th, 2010
9:20 pm
One observation about the $100M offer – It is an insane amount of money, but it was $1M per year below ovechkin. The 7 year deal was serious money but 5 years short. Combine the two and he is a thrasher. The spirit group can’t pull the trigger on a contract worth more than the value of the team. He will get his money come July
Tripple Lindy
February 4th, 2010
9:21 pm
Cormier is a piece of work. Well, he’s a piece of something, Check out his handywork:
http://bit.ly/6kKaJG
Cahos
February 4th, 2010
9:21 pm
Fire Waddell
Better trade would’ve been Malkin from Pittsburgh
But no Waddell decides to be stupid I saw Waddell and had tomorrows paper I rip it right up in front of him and litter it in front of him, for being a dingus for that t-rade.
Malkin would’ve been a better deal in by mind.
defacto
February 4th, 2010
9:22 pm
The day the music…err the NHL died in ATL. Waddell is the common thread in 12+ year of incompetence. Why must it always be this way? And the sad thing is none of the media, save Jeff, have paid any attention to this ongoing debacle.
slobberbelly
February 4th, 2010
9:23 pm
I’m through. I don’t come back until NEW OWNERS, and only NEW OWNERS, show me their serious about winning. And until NEW OWNERS are found, Bettman needs to look into the miserable way this franchise is run.
boom boom still rules
February 4th, 2010
9:24 pm
The Thrashers could call it a rebuilding period…if only they had ever built anything to begin with. Thrashers=Detroit Lions=L.A. Clippers+Pittsburgh Pirates=perpetual ineptitude
Call Me Patrice
February 4th, 2010
9:24 pm
Hi, dis is Patrice Cormier, I shood da puck, I score da goal, I tear da head off of de udder guy and next year I come to da rink near you, or da provincail jail, yeah, dat is what I do!.
StateBird
February 4th, 2010
9:25 pm
This trade speaks volumes on so many fronts. First the obvious ineptitude of management and ownership. I’m surprised that the league would authorize such an imbalanced trade.
It makes me wonder if the 28 other teams all felt that Kovy had so little to offer … but my firm opinion is that the ASG gave DW orders to not bring back any salary to speak of. You don’t think the Flames would have traded Phanuef for Kovy straight up given what they got back in return?
Does anybody know if we now meet the league minimum salary?
Otto
February 4th, 2010
9:25 pm
As a native whose parents were at the first Flames game, I blame the ownership. It is sad Atlanta has a healthy following if you put a decent product on the ice. It takes some investment to get there.
Jos3
February 4th, 2010
9:25 pm
I can’t wait to see if they have the stones to send out letters in the next week or so asking STH’s for a deposit on playoff tickets… You know who I feel for? John Anderson. I am not sold that he is a legit NHL coach, but surely he deserves better than the disaster DW has made for him… And we lose Salmela- pitiful.
Mitch9999999
February 4th, 2010
9:28 pm
http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/4743/happychuk.jpg
This pic said it all. No surprise DW was screwed over again.
12345
February 4th, 2010
9:28 pm
What a trade, Star for nothing, totally nothing. I will never go to another Thrashers game EVER ! Don Waddell you make me sick, you are without question the worst GM in sports history, you lie, you cheat and you do not give a damn about the fans, neither does your employer, the Atlanta SUCK Group !
You people need to be run out of town and never allowed back. I suggest all fans show up at Duluth and we all take Waddell down once and for all, it’s the only method we have left to get rid of him ! Well let’s hear it, Anyone with me ?
Buzz
February 4th, 2010
9:29 pm
If we get their first round pick (likely #28-30) and they get our 2nd round pick (likely #35) did we really get a first round pick?
Sheesh!
Donnie W Still Blows
February 4th, 2010
9:29 pm
Amen Jos3, I do feel sorry for John Anderson and also doubt he is fully NHL ready. Let’s not forget who hired him!
CLIFF F KLEIN
February 4th, 2010
9:29 pm
Yes, another bad move. So someone needs to trade or retire Waddell. I think he was planted in Atlanta by the devil to destroy hockey in here. Every move he makes is worse than the one before. Hockey fans of Atlanta need to demand he gets fired by five Pm tomorrow. What a putz.
USA Today: Kovalchuk to the Devils - 02-04-10 - Empty Netters - post-gazette.com
February 4th, 2010
9:29 pm
[...] return for the best player in franchise history, the Thrashers got right wing Niclas Bergfors, defenseman Johnny Oduya, prospect Patrice Cormier and a first-round …. The teams also swapped second-round [...]
Asheville Dawg
February 4th, 2010
9:29 pm
Can we get off the hockey stuff, please. If the Thrashers move only damnyankee transplants will care!
boom boom still rules
February 4th, 2010
9:29 pm
April 6th, the return of Kovi as the Devils come to Atlanta. How will the 19 Thrasher fans in attendance react?
firewaddell10
February 4th, 2010
9:30 pm
don waddell,
world class GM. 9 yrs 1 playoff appearance (0-4). who needs Heatley, Hossa, or Kovy when you can have uh……….. oh well who needs them.
Donnie W Still Blows
February 4th, 2010
9:30 pm
Buzz- things that make you say. hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
TMAC
February 4th, 2010
9:32 pm
the Marlins of hockey
Want My Floor Seats?
February 4th, 2010
9:33 pm
WOW! I’m truly at a loss for words after watching this guy Cormier’s cheap shot video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzhF2viguGs
Convulsions, brain trauma, “a few” lost teeth…..
boom boom still rules
February 4th, 2010
9:33 pm
Hey TMAC, the Marlins have won Championships, even on the cheap. The Trash haven’t ever won a playoff game.
bugman
February 4th, 2010
9:35 pm
Mmmmm, meatloaf…
Donnie W Still Blows
February 4th, 2010
9:35 pm
And the reason Donnie W put out the press release – it is the Kovy’s greedy and we were poor boobs taken along for a ride defense. Not me, I didn’t totally screw this team into the ground, not me and my clown posse buddies. No, it was that damned Kovy and his Agent, yeah, they did it!
Blackman
February 4th, 2010
9:36 pm
I’m nowhere near a hockey fan and I know this was the dumbest move ever. Well good the Hawks are selling more tickets, its the only way Phillip’s areana will get any money.
KMP
February 4th, 2010
9:36 pm
Im done with the Thrashers!! What a mess!!!!
Iceman
February 4th, 2010
9:37 pm
What a shocker..Don Waddell lets go of a great player. Again. Only this time, it’s the dude they drafted to supposedly be the “future” of the team. I guess futures are 8 seasons now.
Arrrghhh
John
February 4th, 2010
9:37 pm
Does Atlanta have a pro hockey team?
David
February 4th, 2010
9:38 pm
It’s obvious that the Spirit group doesn’t give a (fill in the blank) about hockey. The thing to do is not support their pets the Hawks, by going to games or on TV. Maybe they can be forced to sell the team I mean if they don’t care about hockey fans why should hockey fans care about them. This is coming from a a former Flames season ticket holder.
NHL Ready
February 4th, 2010
9:39 pm
I am now a rental Devil Fan. I hope the take the cup.
Former Fan
February 4th, 2010
9:40 pm
DW makes Billy Knight look like Red Auerbach
Braves GM
February 4th, 2010
9:40 pm
And people thought I got taken to the cleaners when I traded Javier Vazquez to the Yankees. This trade of Kovalchuk to the Devils makes my trade of Vazquez look super!
Thanks, Don Waddell for making me look like a freaking genius.
Ha Ha
February 4th, 2010
9:40 pm
I love watching all of the 27 Trasher fans cry. Keep making me happy.
PMC
February 4th, 2010
9:41 pm
Yeah no baggage at all with Cormier….
Mitch9999999
February 4th, 2010
9:43 pm
We are the Pirates of Hockey not the Marlins. Last I look Marlins have a few Championships to hang onto which are more than the Braves could do.
Big Chief
February 4th, 2010
9:43 pm
Thanks for the memories
atlwolf
February 4th, 2010
9:44 pm
That will be the end of hockey in Atlanta.
Tim Bowman
February 4th, 2010
9:45 pm
Don Waddell shouldn’t be fired he should be banished!
Want My Floor Seats?
February 4th, 2010
9:45 pm
You gotta read this:
http://www.nj.com/devils/index.ssf/2010/02/did_nj_devils_give_away_their.html
Get this part:
I asked Lamoriello if the organization thought Cormier’s career might be damaged by his suspension in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League following his hit on Mikael Tam of the Quebec Remparts last month.
Cormier was suspended for the remainder of the QMJHL regular season and playoffs, potentially 48 games.
“That was probably as difficult as anything,” Lamoriello said of trading Cormier. “This was a player they (the Thrashers) wanted. I am very sensitive to that situation (with Cormier) and stand behind him 100 percent. It was a very difficult phone call to make.”
vbk
February 4th, 2010
9:46 pm
wow.. i have come down several times (From AK) to watch the thrashers. i can honestly say, never again. NJ, here i come.
Hockeytown
February 4th, 2010
9:46 pm
Pop quiz: Which Thrasher fan is upset about Kovalchuk leaving?
Answer: Both of them.
Frank
February 4th, 2010
9:47 pm
Face it. We are the Pittsburgh Pirates of the NHL
Done
February 4th, 2010
9:48 pm
This is it! I am done too. Dandy Don does not have what it takes to bring in a significant player or resign one either. Don’t forget that Savard offered a home town discount (Boston got one so Savard wasn’t lying) and he is now a top center who worked well with Kovy. Don spun his tall tales and Savard left. We had Hossa because of Heatly’s problems. Koslav regrets resigning and is being treated like crude right now.
There are more players that Don could not resign or chose to treat like they had not ability that are doing great on another team.
Don and AS get no more chances here. I will go to Glads games for my hockey fix. I am looking forward to seeing where Kovy lands. It could be my next team. I wish Kovy the best. Kari too for that matter.
bih23
February 4th, 2010
9:48 pm
im probably never going to watch the thrashers ever again.
LAC
February 4th, 2010
9:50 pm
The “letter” from Mr.$HIT himself was simple a JOKE. “See you in Blueland” HA, NO WAY !
Anyone who would now attend a Thrashers home game, unless rooting for the other team, is a complete FOOL ! Stay away from this franchise until they go broke !
I have a friend who is still a STH… I called him about this AWFUL trade, he said he will
give away his tickets and NEVER attend another game until a NEW OWNER and NEW GM are in place, He said “Giving money to asg, is like going to the grocery store and buying
spoiled meat.” He is 100% correct. These two NJ jerks will NEVER do anything here, likely gone next season and frankly who cares.
I really hope this team is sold and moved, to a city where they will be run in a professional manner and have Total fan support ! There is NO way this team stays here, just sell it and move it, this is THE END of NHL hockey here and it will never return.
Lastly waddell, this is for YOU A$$ HOLE, you are a F’ing scam, a person who who lies to everyone, a person who could care less about the FANS and the team. You have done everything in 10 years to DESTROY hockey here, but the issue is YOU ARE STILL here.
Your letter should have been telling that you have RESIGNED, not that total CRAP BS
you wrote, who wrote it for you beau turner, was he drunk ???
You are a disgrace to the human race waddell total disgrace !
How about it waddell, one of my companies for 10 minutes in a room with you, you got ANY GUTS PUNK ? I doubt it !!!!! I’ll be awaiting your letter of response waddell you worthless COWRD !
mark
February 4th, 2010
9:51 pm
This trade had to happen. Kovy DID NOT want to stay in atlanta and we offered him a fortune and he still said no. Waddell is actually a great GM contrary to popular belief…he has been snakebit by poor ownership and budgetary restrictions, not to mention unfortunate events (Heatley, injuries, this). Waddell can evaluate talent; the problem is the talent is playing for other team. Give him some more time and this move had to be made to get us back on track, especially with no leverage as everyone knew we had to deal Kovy.
boom boom still rules
February 4th, 2010
9:51 pm
The don’t call them the Trash for nothing. If this was the best offer, I can’t imagine what the others were. Disney on Ice skaters? The fat guy that plays for the Yellow Team in the Monday night 40+ beer league at the rink in Alpharetta? The best of Steak Shapiro on CD?