Ilya Kovalchuk To The Devils - New England Patriots Forums

BillBelichickFan79 · 02-05-2010, 01:25 AM

Devils acquire Kovalchuk

I'm from NY, and I'm a big Devils fan so I'm really excited about this trade. Kovy's been one of my favorite players over the last 5 years, so I'm elated that Lamoriello added him. I think he got a great deal adding one the elite goal scorers in the NHL while holding onto our two top prospects Tedenby and Jacobsen. It's not a terrible haul for Atlanta, as Bergfors has the potential to be a good 2nd line winger that can score around 25-30 goals a year, Oduya is a good 3rd/4th defenseman with some good wheels, and Cormier is a pretty promising young center who could turn into a solid 2nd line center. But the Devils are the clear winners in this trade getting a superstar in Kovalchuk, and he is exactly what they need to boost their scoring struggles and power play. I can't wait to see his lethal shot on the power play and his overall playmaking ability on a nightly basis in NJ.

I know there was a lot of talk on the radio in Boston (Felger and Mazz, DA, etc.) about Kovalchuk and the Bruins. Now that he's off the market who do you Bruins fans have your sights set on? I know some of you have to be disappointed that the Bruins didn't make an offer comparable to this. You have to think Boston has some similar pieces that they could've given up like a Wideman and Wheeler.

Do you guys think the Devils will be able to re-sign Kovalchuk or do you think they strictly see him as a rental?

I kind of agree with Melrose that I think you might see the Devils make a push to sign him. I'd love to keep him around and continue to build this team around him. I think the rejecting of the deal with Atlanta had more to do with wanting to get out of Atlanta rather than the money because 12 years 100 million is a crazy amount of money to reject. I think he wanted to be able to explore free agency and go to a winning environment. I know NJ isn't always an attractive place for free agents, but we've been one of the most successful franchises in sports over the past 15 years. Lamoriello usually doesn't like to tie up a ton of money in one player, but I'm hoping he makes an exception this one time for someone who I feel is worth top dollar.

efin98 · 02-05-2010, 11:06 PM

This was all about the future for the Bruins...they didn't give up their three draft picks they got from the Kessel trade, they didn't give up their young stud goaltender nor their rising stars...they keep what they had and the guys they lose in the offseason will be replaced by their own guys they control for several more years and their top 3 draft pick.

I am never a fan of mortgaging the farm to try to get over the hump when your problem is health...the Bruins can't stay healthy and no matter how hot the guy is if he is the only one on offense scoring they can't win. They did the right thing for the team keeping their picks and youngsters and building up what will be a winning team.