Kovalchuk could miss up to five weeks

Out with a broken foot.

FOX Sports wrote:Kovalchuk, the Thrashers' captain and one of the league's top scorers, is expected to miss three to five weeks with a broken bone in his right foot, the team announced on Monday.
The team said the break was found in a CT scan.

You can read about the injury more here, and if you scroll on the right, I believe there is a video of it:

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=503615

Sucks for the Thrashers, but this will really allow Kovy to witness the team around him, and gauge whether it's going in the right direction. With a good showing, it could cement a re-signing deal.

Evander Kane will take his spot on the top-line.

Also, Atlanta is misspelled in the board's title.

Quite a nice opportunity for Kane, but bad for Atl on the whole. Kovalchuk is definitely the straw that stirs that drink.

More pressure than ever on the rest of the cast. But, if they do well, they'd show Kovy it's worthwhile to re-sign.

Pretty serious event, in more ways than one.

asq2 wrote:More pressure than ever on the rest of the cast. But, if they do well, they'd show Kovy it's worthwhile to re-sign.

Pretty serious event, in more ways than one.

No doubt more pressure. Guys like Antropov are really going to have to step it up. They can't expect Kane to step in and replace Kovalchuk, not by a long shot. It will definitely be done by committee. Do you really think the team's showing with him, will be that big of a factor in Kovalchuk re-signing? He reportedly likes the city, and is immensely popular. If Waddell gets even a sniff of Kovy wanting to leave though, he'd better not wait until 3 minutes before the trade deadline like he did with Hossa.

My bet is he re-signs though, and for less than people think.

hemlock wrote:

asq2 wrote:More pressure than ever on the rest of the cast. But, if they do well, they'd show Kovy it's worthwhile to re-sign.

Pretty serious event, in more ways than one.

No doubt more pressure. Guys like Antropov are really going to have to step it up. They can't expect Kane to step in and replace Kovalchuk, not by a long shot. It will definitely be done by committee. Do you really think the team's showing with him, will be that big of a factor in Kovalchuk re-signing? He reportedly likes the city, and is immensely popular. If Waddell gets even a sniff of Kovy wanting to leave though, he'd better not wait until 3 minutes before the trade deadline like he did with Hossa.

My bet is he re-signs though, and for less than people think.

I think it'll be something factoring into the discussions. He's a competitive guy who wants to win.

It's been proven that despite his superstardom, Kovy can't bring a team to the playoffs on his own. The only time they've made it is when he hasn't had a terrible team around him.

If the team loses all its games handily while he's injured, it'll make re-signing less tenable. If they prove they're on the rise (which, with Kane and Bogosian, I believe is the case), then that may reduce the number he asks for and/or further convince him to stay.

Let's see what they've got.

Why do I now see the "thanks" button? Is it because I'm the thread-starter?

These new gizmos are too confusing for me. I miss the good ole days.

Wow, good thing I didn't pick him in the pool. I did, however, draft Antropov, hoping he'd click on the top line. He hasn't, but maybe this will give him top-line minutes with Kane, now.

The South East just got a little bit easier. Ironically, though, they only play in-division games three times over the stretch. They play the Caps as many times as they play the Sens, for example. It's a weir month of November for them.