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
Former Atlantan, now in New York
February 4th, 2010
9:52 pm
It always makes me laugh and be sorrowful at the same time. Growing up in Atlanta, I saw Jim Craig’s first game as a Flame. When they moved to Calgary, I thought…’well hockey is not well served or supported in Atlanta’. I was thirteen. Now, in the generation of sports-marketing, the Atlanta front office has shown their ineptness to market a viable sport to the community by trading away their most marketable players and using the Thrashers as an ‘also-ran’ in their business decisions. It is really a shame that the same attendee trends that existed in the early 80’s are again becoming apparent. The Thrashers organization has one of several options, 1. Move the team (to Winnipeg?) 2. Change the colors of the home uniform. If I ran my business the same way as the Thrashers organization I would have been bankrupt four years ago! Good Luck Atlanta fans, I say bring back the Knights. Oh say can you see….?
Tim Bowman
February 4th, 2010
9:53 pm
BOYCOTT THE ATLANTA SPIRIT! NO MORE HAWKS OR THRASHERS GAMES FOR ME OR MY FAMILY!
Dave 3
February 4th, 2010
9:53 pm
Hey, I take offense comparing the Pirates to the Thrashers….NO organization is as poorly run as the Pirates…17 straight losing seasons and counting…
Want My Floor Seats?
February 4th, 2010
9:55 pm
More trade details…
FROM:
Since the Thrashers drafted Kovalchuk No. 1 overall in 2001, the Russian Olympian leads the NHL with 328 goals, but Atlanta has made just one playoff appearance and has never won a postseason game. The 26-year-old Kovalchuk has 31 goals and 27 assists in 49 games this season for the Thrashers. He missed six games because of a broken bone in his foot.
Salmela, 25, had a goal and four assists in 29 games this season for Atlanta. The Finn was acquired by the Thrashers from the Devils in exchange for defenseman Niclas Havelid and forward Myles Stoesz on March 2, 2009.
TO:
The 28-year-old Oduya has two goals and two assists in 40 games in what has been a disappointing season. He’s set to play for Sweden in Olympics.
Bergfors, a 22-year-old Swede, is fifth among NHL rookies with 27 points (13 goals, 14 assists). He was drafted 23rd overall in 2005.
The 19-year-old Cormier had 11 goals and 20 assists in 31 games this season with Rimouski and Rouyn-Noranda of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League before he was suspended for the rest of season because of a hit on an opposing player. He captained Canada in the 2010 World Junior Championship.
The Devils’ 27th pick in the first round.
.
February 4th, 2010
9:55 pm
Wish someone would buy the damn TEAM that Cares!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ray Ferraro's Bobble Head Doll
February 4th, 2010
9:57 pm
If I buy a Kovy authentic at half off, should I wear it if the Thrashers play the Devils in the playoffs?
BRUCE LEVINSON
February 4th, 2010
9:57 pm
mark- “Waddell is actually a great GM contrary to popular belief…”
Please tell me you are joking. You are killing me.
Falcon 34
February 4th, 2010
10:00 pm
Don Waddell Should Be Fired! – I certainly won’t claim to know very much about hockey, but I can say this as a Thrasher fan who loves his local teams and attends at least several games a year: Waddell should be fired on the spot for shipping the face of the franchise, Ilya Kovalchuk, out of town. Waddell has obviously made it his job to kill hockey once again in Atlanta. How in the hell he has a job is unbelievable. He has been the GM of the Thrashers for all 10 years of existence and they have managed 4 playoff games in 10 years, with all 4 being dominant losses. Trading Hossa and Heatley MAY could have been understood, but trading one of the best players in the NHL and THE face of the franchise away is unconscionable. Hockey may be a tough sell in the South, but Atlantans have shown they will follow a winner, and everytime Waddell has had a chance at one, he destroys it. Awful, pathetic, and completely abhorrent. Rumor is that Kovalchuk wanted 10 years for $120+ million and Waddell wouldn’t match. That may not be true, but this one goes down as one of the worst decisions in Atlanta sports history. For the sake of Thrasher fans everywhere and Atlanta sports fans in general, fire Don Waddell yesterday!
BRUCE LEVINSON
February 4th, 2010
10:00 pm
After several months of negotiations toward a long-term contract with forward Ilya Kovalchuk and his agent, we were unable to reach an agreement and elected to trade Kovalchuk and defenseman Anssi Salmela to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Johnny Oduya, Niclas Bergfors, Patrice Cormier and a first round draft pick in 2010. In addition, our teams have swapped second round choices in the 2010 NHL Draft.
We want you, our loyal season ticket holders, to know that throughout the negotiation process, the Thrashers organization remained committed to offering Ilya a contract that exceeded those of the league’s best and highest paid players, and was commensurate to his skill level and performance history.
To that end, we offered Kovy several lucrative packages in an effort to meet his financial objectives. One offer that we extended to Ilya would have made him the highest paid NHL player on a per year average with $10 million per year for seven years. Another offer totaled more than $100 million over 12 years , and it, combined with the previous contractual commitments that were made to Kovy, would have earned him more money than any other NHL player in the history of the league.
If we had met Kovy’s ultimate demand, we would have jeopardized our ability to build a competitive team around him and retain our other young players as they became eligible for new contracts in the seasons ahead. At the end of the day, we couldn’t close that gap and simply reached a point at which we couldn’t reasonably go any higher.
We’re excited about the addition of all three players and feel that Johnny and Niclas will quickly complement our team of budding young stars, highly-skilled veterans and elite players. We also look forward to having Patrice join us in the near future. Our goals for this season have not changed—to make and advance as deep as possible in the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs—and we move ahead with a new sense of purpose that is energized by our continued climb in the standings as we position ourselves to compete with the best in the NHL.
We will maintain the option of bringing in more players, in addition to the ones that we have acquired in the trade, to make sure that we are fully competitive for the remainder of the season and the postseason.
We thank Ilya and Anssi for all they have done for our organization and wish them well. And we thank you,for your loyalty, commitment and continued support, and look forward to your enthusiastic presence in Blueland to help drive us into the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Former Atlantan, now in New York
February 4th, 2010
10:03 pm
To Frank “…we are the Pittsburgh Pirates of the NHL…” The Pittsburgh Pirates have history and an organization that kept Willie Stargell in a Pirates uniform for his entire career. They won the World Series in their heydey. The Thrashers are like the XFL…lots of flash and fire coming out of the Thrashers heads before the game and cameras that zoom in on areas where there are some fans. Hardly, the Pirates, more like the Orlando Rage…Sorry
Theron Sapp
February 4th, 2010
10:03 pm
Shame.
JB
February 4th, 2010
10:03 pm
Say what you will about Marian Hossa, but at least he had the cojones to go on public record (albeit one of his native country’s newspapers) and say that Atlanta wasn’t going anywhere, thus forcing a trade. Ilya has repeatedly said that he wanted to stay here in Atlanta. What a load of patooey! What he and his agent succeeded in doing is called “posturing”. They come up with a demand so lucrative that they both knew that Atlanta couldn’t afford to keep him, and thus resulting in another star being traded away from Atlanta. That’s not saying that D-Wad (I wonder if he even knows what the real meaning of that abbreviation is?) or the ASG are any less to blame for Kovy leaving. Both of them should’ve known that by simply giving Kovy the “C” for his jersey wasn’t enough to keep him here. I predicted at the beginning of the season that Kovy would be gone this year, and I also predicted that the Thrashers would be sold by the end of the ‘10-’11 season. Looks like I’m golden so far…
CobbThrasher
February 4th, 2010
10:03 pm
WMFS- Thanks for posting the link with Lou’s comments. It was also interesting reading the Devils fans reaction to the trade. They generally thought they gave up very little. It’s was also interesting to read there thinking on the future, being now. Just imagine if Don had that attitude over the years where we might be now.
Want My Floor Seats?
February 4th, 2010
10:05 pm
Another decent read about it all:
http://www.sportingnews.com/nhl/article/2010-02-04/devils-surprise-everyone-kovalchuk-trade
I’ve read enough already & I’m out. Still going to the game on Sat……Wonder what it’ll be like?
Probably SURREAL.
John
February 4th, 2010
10:06 pm
I think this was fantastic deal for the thrashers.
April Fools!
Frustrated, Inc.
February 4th, 2010
10:07 pm
When is Turkey Neck Waddell going to announce his next move, trading Evander Kane? Sunday? WOW, tons of Americans are out of work, yet ole Turkey Neck still has a steady paycheck. God Bless America!
KNIGHTS! OOoooonnnn aaaaaaaa POWERPLAY!!!
February 4th, 2010
10:08 pm
Chris Lipuma
Brent Gretsky
Jeff Buchanan
Stan Drulia
Devin Edgerton
Peter Ferraro
Colin Miller
Shawn Rivers
Jason Ruff
If these names mean anything to you, you remember what it can be like to be a proud hockey fan in Atlanta. I miss those days. The night they won the Turner Cup is still the loudest I had ever heard a crowd, for any event, of any kind, ever in the Omni.
I was also there the night that the mascot, Sir Slapshot, got beat up in the stands by the opposing team’s coach. Anyone remember that?
CJ
February 4th, 2010
10:08 pm
The beginning of the end of hockey in Atlanta…if I were Kovy I wouldn’t have resigned to play in front of 10,000 empty seats a night for a general manager that couldn’t get him a decent centerman and for an ownership group that couldn’t market or have a clue on what makes a successful front office.
Just save the template of this story when Joe Johnson goes elsewhere in the summer…
Derrick
February 4th, 2010
10:08 pm
Cahos, you’re an idiot.
Dan, Caps fan
February 4th, 2010
10:08 pm
cormier was the canadian world juniors team captain. he made a bad play but he is going to be a stud. bergfors will be excellent too, the NJ systems doesnt promote offensive studs. i wonder how a guy who doesnt play defense will fit in up there. i say send kovy to the khl after the season. sorry atlanta your owners are terrible. don waddle, your time is over.
John
February 4th, 2010
10:09 pm
At least we still have those blueberry colored uniforms!
BubbaDaStickMan
February 4th, 2010
10:09 pm
Frankly, Charlotte I don’t give a damn! Gwinnett Gladiators, best Hockey Team in ATL..Sugarloaf Parkway & I-85….
Smarty
February 4th, 2010
10:09 pm
Hello Toronto!!! Hockey is leaving Atlanta this Summer folks go see while you can….
drano
February 4th, 2010
10:09 pm
I, and all other Devil fans, would like to extend our gratitude to the city of Atlanta for being so kind to the people of the great state of New Jersey. I will think of you all fondly while I watch Kovy skate the Cup around the rink wearing black and red this June.
Seriously though, great deal for the Devs. Those of you who don’t understand the Devils or the way the team is run will be surprised to see the team offer Kovy a lot to stay – if he produces as expected. You all speak of Lou as being tight on the money, but Elias makes $7 million a year and the Devils do have the cap room to fit Kovy in long-term. Kovalchuk will do fine in the Jersey system (it’s all about being responsible and positionally sound). I was watching him closely this year when the two teams played and he can do fine defensively when he is inspired to play. Knowing that he has a chance for the Cup this spring will take him to a new level. The reason he turned down the offers the Thrashers made had nothing to do with the money – it was all about the opportunity to compete. What team (aside from the Wings) competes on a more regular basis than the Devils? No one, that’s who. The Thrashers have made the playoffs once; the Devils have MISSED the playoffs once in the past two decades (currently on a 13 year – soon to be 14 year – run of making the post-season). Also, keep in mind, the current owner of the Devils is relatively new and is definitely interested in keeping Kovy for promotional purposes – he’s a savvy business guy. The Thrashers need new management and a better team philosophy. They don’t seem to learn from the mistakes and have been, for all intents and purposes, a farm team for other franchises around the league that are looking for talent. I feel for ya Atlanta. – Sincerely, New Jersey.
hollywould
February 4th, 2010
10:09 pm
Good blog Falcon 34/ I do not understand how a guy who loses for 10 years (ok 9) keeps his job. It is INCREDIBLE.
Hey, maybe we get lucky and the new guys can play. Cormier has been talked about as a very good player. He made a mistake and maybe he can learn from it. Damn, how many times did I say maybe? Think Teflon D is thinking the same thing?
Always Hoping
February 4th, 2010
10:10 pm
All of you haters who are threatening to boycott the team please do so. Then crawl back into the hole you came from. Sit around and wait for news on the Bulldogs. I doubt any of you have ever been to a Thrashers game.
If you’re a true fan you stick with a team through thick and thin. Put your feelings aside for DW and ASG and keep supporting the players. The team is still in playoff contention. Had BOTH SIDES been up front with each other all this drama could have avoided. It’s obvious Kovy wanted out and wasted our time all season.
So let’s all take a deep breath during the Olympic break and come back in March ready to support the team for a spot in the playoffs.
Mr. Schulz please go away now until your next semi-annual article on hockey. I’m sure you have plenty of Bulldog, Vick, and other high schools news to report.
locdog59
February 4th, 2010
10:10 pm
I guess if you have never won anything then everyone is expendable. If the Atlanta Spirit was serious about hockey then Waddell would be out of a job. What general manager has ever lasted this long on a team with no playoff wins. It is obscene.
Knights!!!
O.J.
February 4th, 2010
10:11 pm
I hope Don reads these because you sir are destroying hockey in Atlanta. I also will not go to another game as long as you are running the team.
confused
February 4th, 2010
10:11 pm
I admit I know nothing about the Thrashers. But it seems to me that some people are complaining about what the Thrashers got got Kovalchuk in “trade”. If the dude was (going to be) a free agent and the Thrashers couldn’t afford his new contract, then why isn’t everyone kissing the owners’ ass for at least getting something instead of nothing?
Again, I know nothing about hockey, but isn’t their free agency similar to baseball?? Would it have made sense to pay the guy $15 mil a year and still lose?
Just curious…
James Brown
February 4th, 2010
10:12 pm
The 19-year-old Cormier………..I like this guy……Bumbling Don may have landed us somebody who can mix it up…………..something tells me me that he can play……….Big Lou didn`t want to give him up…..amid all the Bulls!@#$ this guy may be the jewel……..I`m looking for a positive…….I hope he makes the team at the end of this year(is he eligible?) or in training camp this summer………..that`s my new jersey….no pun…………
Kel
February 4th, 2010
10:13 pm
Hmmm. Don Waddell or dog squeeze? I prefer dog squeeze.
Falcon 34
February 4th, 2010
10:13 pm
This Just in – In a bizarre turn of events, the Indianapolis Colts trade Peyton Manning to the Calgary Stampeders of the CFL a few days before the Super Bowl. Not to be outdone, the New Orleans Saints trade Drew Brees to the Seattle Mariners for 7 bats, 4 gloves, and a baseball. Albert Pujols is anxiously awaiting his turn to be dealt to LA Galaxy for David Beckham’s right cleat, and finally, Lebron James appears headed to Manchester United for one pint of Bass Ale and a half eaten fish and chips.
confused
February 4th, 2010
10:16 pm
Falcon 34 — please fill me in. Assuming the ownership had done nothing, how would this situation be any better come June?
ATLthrasHER
February 4th, 2010
10:17 pm
Wow. I have been going to Thrasher games since the first pre-season one played here. Had my company get season tix and when those dropped I bought my own partial season until last year when I went through the Big D…was getting ready to pick my seats up again for the rest of this season and renew for next after talking to an agent at the Buffalo game. I can deal with the Thrashers without Kovy (although I will miss him), but I don’t know how much longer I can continue to support them if they keep Waddell. He really is blowing up this team.
WTF2
February 4th, 2010
10:17 pm
Don Waddell just focuses on bringing in new young players who might rise to be stars sometime in the future. We need a player who once was that kid, who stuck with a team, and now is a star. Aka, Ilya Kovalchuk. He was the face of the Thrashers. He was one of the originals (out of the players we have left.) He was our captain. Give a year, two, or three and the Thrashers will be gone, just like the Flames.
John
February 4th, 2010
10:17 pm
question-please help me out here. Is there a salary cap in Hockey? I have heard there isn’t. Therefore all this BS about Kovy taking up all of the salary cap would be untrue. If it was true, how could the Red Wings have so many stars all these years? How could the Devils, Rangers, and Bruins be able to have explored trading for Kovy and still keep enough others to make a run? I think this salary cap talk is BS.
Life Goes On
February 4th, 2010
10:18 pm
Where is the outrage toward Kovalchuk who did much worse than Marion Hossa by constantly saying he wanted to stay here. At least Hossa never stated he wanted to sign here. Kovalchuk will be a defensive liability to a team as defensive minded as NJ.
James Brown
February 4th, 2010
10:19 pm
Drano……………he won`t fit in your system and you will not win the Cup….he flew under the media radar here but as soon as he starts sulking after a bad gane or two the New York media will eat him alive……The Caps will kill you guys in 5 or 6 games if the Pens don`t do it first
ThrasherFan
February 4th, 2010
10:20 pm
What if, Kovy resigns here in the summer and Don Waddell just added some young players to compliment the team?
It could be a complete masterstroke… Bergfors is 22… Bogo, Kane, Little, all young…
Just what if…
Hipcheck
February 4th, 2010
10:21 pm
We suffered through the formative years with the hope of building a team. Little did we know reaching the playoffs was the low point for this sorry excuse of a franchise. Waddell is totally clueless, a collection should be taken up to buy the guy a ticket out of town, a bus ticket. If he had a spine he’d quit. Atlanta Spirit can’t agree on what brand of coffee for their break room let alone run a franchise. How did these clowns make their money inthe first place. It sure wasn’t their business smarts. I’d make a plea for Arthur Blank to save hockey in ATL but it’s to late. Go Gladiators!!!!
Not Confused
February 4th, 2010
10:21 pm
Dear Confused
Why are people upset? Do ever read about Waddells trades? THEY NEVER WORK OUT.
The is a MORON when it comes to trading players.
Falcon 34
February 4th, 2010
10:22 pm
confused – I’m not a fan who attends every game or even close for that matter, and I’m not really a hockey fan, but I do love the hometown Thrashers and try to make at least 2 or 3 games a year. Like I said, I really don’t know much about the situation in general, but from an outsiders perspective, trading one of the best players in the NHL and THE face of the franchise is hard to stomach. It seems as though the ownership group cares about the Hawks and Bball, but the Thrashers….not so much. Maybe Kovy and his agent played them like a fiddle, but Waddell’s track record is less than stellar to say the least. I am a passionate Falcon fan and I can only compare it to trading away Matt Ryan.
c.j.
February 4th, 2010
10:23 pm
There is a lot of hockey fans in this town. I don’t care if you’re a transplant, or home grown fan, We Want Hockey here! I don’t care if you root for the Thrashers or for the visitors, We Want Hockey here! Stop giving us the leftovers! Or we will Tea Party this team!
Jason
February 4th, 2010
10:23 pm
I think the letter says it all. The Thrashers offered him more than a fair contract. He’s just another arrogant, selfish, greedy millionaire looking to squeeze as much as he can. Had the Thrashers met his self centered demands, they would never even have the opportunity to be competitive because they wouldn’t be able to pay anyone else. As good of a player as he is, no one player is worth mortgaging the future for.
Darkhorse
February 4th, 2010
10:23 pm
Moe, Larry and Curly would make better owners then this group of clowns. What a depressing trade……
Jeffrey
February 4th, 2010
10:24 pm
Who gives a flying hockey puck??? Greed! A $100,000,000+ contract offer refused. Eff him!
confused
February 4th, 2010
10:25 pm
Again, please clarify. If Waddell doesn’t trade him and the Thrashers are forced to try to resign him and compete with the rest of the NHL, how is that a better situation than what just occurred?
Surely Thrashers fans don’t think Kovalchuk would turn down 10s of millions to stay in ATL, DO YOU?
boom boom still rules
February 4th, 2010
10:26 pm
I agree with Drano. The Devils gave up a couple of prospects and the likelihood of about 8 slots in the draft (very late 1st rounder for a very high 2nd rounder) A half season of Kovi and a run at yet another cup versus doing nothing and letting another Eastern Conference team pick him up for pocket change and using him to knock you out. Smart teams do smart things and they win. The Trash do stupid things and continue to stink.
Gwinnett Fred
February 4th, 2010
10:27 pm
Great move – clears all kinds of cap room for the owners to bring in some stud free agents……no, wait
Bruce
February 4th, 2010
10:27 pm
Wow! Impressive trade Don! Can’t wait to see the new team on the ice. By my calculations, we should score 20 goals for the rest of the season. We’re going to need all 3 goalies in the net at once to have a chance. Dolt!
I can’t recall such a galactically pathetic and inept excuse for a hockey organization as the Atlanta Spirit and Don Waddell and the club that they put on the ice night after night. It’s embarrassing. I actually feel sorry for the players wasting their careers for this excuse for an NHL organization.