Kovalchuk trade watch

Is Lou Lam the President as well? If so he's gotta start thinking about attendance doesn't he? Isn't increasing the attendance and the Season ticket base a big part of the President's job?

SeawaySensFan wrote:

rooneypoo wrote:

SeawaySensFan wrote:

Cap'n Clutch wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:Sounds like it'll be NJ. We'll see though...

NJ huh? Poor Kovalchuck. So there'll be a few more fans to watch him but he's not going to be happy playing under Lemaire and Lou Lam is he?

Maybe Lou is starting to wake up and see all the empty seats and maybe he wants to generate some excitement?

I don't think anyone planning on acquiring Kovalchuk can be looking at it as a rental. I think it may be something like:

Elias, Oduya, Bergfors, Clarkson and Cormier for

Kovalchuk, Cheddar Armstrong, Kubina and Oystrick

I dunno. 2nd place in the conference, 1st in their division, games in hand. NJ's been on a bad streak lately, for sure, but that's an enormous deal you're talking about.

I could see NJ dealing something like Rolston/Zubrus + Clarkson/Bergfors, plus an appropriate bag of goodies (pick, prospect). Something like that. NJ has always been a conservative team and is pretty much a slam dunk to make the playoffs this year, so I don't see the need to trade half the team away. And I don't think they desperately need a #1 LW seeing as they have Parise already.

This is a team that fired their coach when they were a slam dunk to make the playoffs too. They're probably a slam dunk to be eliminated early as well.

Brand new building, perpetually empty seats. I think the conservative formula has run it's course.

I could buy into this argument more if Lam were fired, and if Lam didn't go out and get that blast-from-the-NJ-past, Lemaire. Anything's possible, granted, but these don't look like the signs of a coming radical overhaul to me.

rooneypoo wrote:
I could buy into this argument more if Lam were fired, and if Lam didn't go out and get that blast-from-the-NJ-past, Lemaire. Anything's possible, granted, but these don't look like the signs of a coming radical overhaul to me.

What about when Brodeur breaks or retires? Won't that force an overhaul? And don't say that it's all about the system, that system was in place in Minny and they suffocated with very little success.

What are the odds that the trades for Kovalchuk actually signs him ? You know he's gonna hit the market July 1st.

The guy's contract demands are ridiculous. Any team that signs him for that amount is going to be limited in bringing in quality players when Kovy is taking up 20% of his cap space by himself.

Hoags wrote:What are the odds that the trades for Kovalchuk actually signs him ? You know he's gonna hit the market July 1st.

The guy's contract demands are ridiculous. Any team that signs him for that amount is going to be limited in bringing in quality players when Kovy is taking up 20% of his cap space by himself.

Or he just doesn't want to play in Atlanta?

Hoags wrote:What are the odds that the trades for Kovalchuk actually signs him ? You know he's gonna hit the market July 1st.

The guy's contract demands are ridiculous. Any team that signs him for that amount is going to be limited in bringing in quality players when Kovy is taking up 20% of his cap space by himself.

Why does he want out of Atlanta then if it's all about money? Didn't Waddell try to offer him a massive contract or am I confused?

SeawaySensFan wrote:

Hoags wrote:What are the odds that the trades for Kovalchuk actually signs him ? You know he's gonna hit the market July 1st.

The guy's contract demands are ridiculous. Any team that signs him for that amount is going to be limited in bringing in quality players when Kovy is taking up 20% of his cap space by himself.

Or he just doesn't want to play in Atlanta?

Rumor is he turned down 10-years, $100-million from Waddell...I don't think it's just Atlanta at this point - who are much better, and getting better, than people give them credit for.

PKC wrote:

SeawaySensFan wrote:

Hoags wrote:What are the odds that the trades for Kovalchuk actually signs him ? You know he's gonna hit the market July 1st.

The guy's contract demands are ridiculous. Any team that signs him for that amount is going to be limited in bringing in quality players when Kovy is taking up 20% of his cap space by himself.

Or he just doesn't want to play in Atlanta?

Rumor is he turned down 10-years, $100-million from Waddell...I don't think it's just Atlanta at this point - who are much better, and getting better, than people give them credit for.

Does Kovalchuck not realize that it's very difficult for a team to take on more than a 10M cap hit and still have a competitive team? I mean Washington is doing it with AO and his cap hit is slightly less than 10M isn't it? How long can that last though?

I'm not sure what to believe. Waddell supposedly offered him the money but he wants to be set for life. I heard they offered him 5-7 and he wants 10-12 ish. I don't know what's true anymore.

It sounds like he wants to sign for a longer term than Atlanta is willing to give him. Look at TB and Vinny's contract, they may not want to commit 100M+ dollars over 10+ years to 1 person, who knows if the team will still exist ? (prolly not), or if the owner won't be filing bankruptcy by then.

I don't think he cares about the salary cap, if Atlanta can't give him what he wants, he's sure someone else will.

Him and AO are friends, it wouldn't surprise me if Alex showed him one of his paychecks, and now he wants some.

You can have a few guys in the 8+ million range assuming you have the right guys making 500k-1m. Washington has that right now... besides, if no one can stop lines 1/2, then who gives a sh!t about 3/4. On the rare night they DO stop your big lines, you'll lose, but that doesn't seem to happening too often.

Michael Fisher Portnoy II wrote:You can have a few guys in the 8+ million range assuming you have the right guys making 500k-1m. Washington has that right now... besides, if no one can stop lines 1/2, then who gives a sh!t about 3/4. On the rare night they DO stop your big lines, you'll lose, but that doesn't seem to happening too often.

It definitely requires a number of underpaid over performers for that to work in a cap world.

Cap'n Clutch wrote:
It definitely requires a number of underpaid over performers for that to work in a cap world.

And have prospects ready to replace them when they're inevitably no longer underachievers and want a big raise.

We're doing well rolling 3-4 dangerous lines, Clouston made Lindy Ruff's head spin with his line combos last night.

I don't think anyone in this league should be demanding more money per year than Ovechkin, Crosby, and Malkin. Full stop.

Kovalchuk is a wonderful talent, but I wouldn't trade for him if he were seeking that much. You can't built a winner like that.

Hoags wrote:I'm not sure what to believe. Waddell supposedly offered him the money but he wants to be set for life. I heard they offered him 5-7 and he wants 10-12 ish. I don't know what's true anymore.

It sounds like he wants to sign for a longer term than Atlanta is willing to give him. Look at TB and Vinny's contract, they may not want to commit 100M+ dollars over 10+ years to 1 person, who knows if the team will still exist ? (prolly not), or if the owner won't be filing bankruptcy by then.

I don't think he cares about the salary cap, if Atlanta can't give him what he wants, he's sure someone else will.

Him and AO are friends, it wouldn't surprise me if Alex showed him one of his paychecks, and now he wants some.

Mackenzie says in his blog that they offered in the 100M$ 10/12 year range and that was turned down by Kovalchuk and his agent (5% commission I'd assume). I think league max is 11.2$ and that's what he wants. Over 10 years, that's 11.2M$ more but what can you do with 120M$ that you can't do with 100M$? It's silly.

rooneypoo wrote:I don't think anyone in this league should be demanding more money per year than Ovechkin, Crosby, and Malkin. Full stop.

Kovalchuk is a wonderful talent, but I wouldn't trade for him if he were seeking that much. You can't built a winner like that.

This. End of the story for me. No one is above the three you mentioned.

rooneypoo wrote:I don't think anyone in this league should be demanding more money per year than Ovechkin, Crosby, and Malkin. Full stop.

Kovalchuk is a wonderful talent, but I wouldn't trade for him if he were seeking that much. You can't built a winner like that.

What if your winner is already partly built?

TheAvatar wrote:
Mackenzie says in his blog that they offered in the 100M$ 10/12 year range and that was turned down by Kovalchuk and his agent (5% commission I'd assume). I think league max is 11.2$ and that's what he wants. Over 10 years, that's 11.2M$ more but what can you do with 120M$ that you can't do with 100M$? It's silly.

Then maybe (as others said) it's not about the money, he just wants out of Atlanta. Instead of demanding a trade he's just going to refuse all offers from then until they're forced to trade him.

SpezDispenser wrote:

rooneypoo wrote:I don't think anyone in this league should be demanding more money per year than Ovechkin, Crosby, and Malkin. Full stop.

Kovalchuk is a wonderful talent, but I wouldn't trade for him if he were seeking that much. You can't built a winner like that.

This. End of the story for me. No one is above the three you mentioned.

I almost feel bad for Don Wadell. Churning out star players only to see them walk away for money/championships. What can the guy do? He can't catch a break with some of these selfish punks.