- Pierre LeBrun of ESPN cited that an anonymous Western Conference executive said he wouldn’t be surprised if the Blackhawks became serious players for Ilya Kovalchuk’s services. He mentions that Kovalchuk would solely be a rental, and the Blackhawks would be able to alleviate the off-season payroll issues now by moving a few players with multi-year contracts.
Red Rising’s Take: LeBrun mentions Cam Barker and Kris Versteeg in his blog entry as possible pieces going back to Atlanta for Kovalchuk. The Trashers would want more and could get more in return for the Russian sniper via trade. It would be the ultimate wet dream to see Kovalchuk don the Indian Head, but I just don’t see the Blackhawks making a realistic play for him.
The idea of taking care of the off-season payroll problems prior to the end of the season is something that doesn’t need to be done. Right now the Blackhawks are playing their best hockey of the season, so why try to improve/fix something that isn’t broken?
It’s an idea that has surfaced a few times on various intranet rumor mills, but not often is it a player of Kovalchuk’s caliber mentioned. It’s usually someone of the same ilk of Matt Cullen, and Stan Bowman should avoid trades such as Cullen for Barker just to shed money from next year’s payroll. Yet, if it were for a player like Kovalchuk or Scott Niedermayer – both in the last year of their contracts and are ‘superstars’ – it would be hard for Bowman to pass on the opportunity to bolster an already potent lineup.
Kovalchuk (or Niedermayer) as a Blackhawk is an interesting notion. In all likelihood Bowman will go into the playoffs with the roster as is. Remember, Dave Bolland and Adam Burish should be back by the end of February, and those two should be able to provide enough firepower.
Loading ...
