Ilva Kovalchuk is outa here. Even after the Atlanta Thrashers disclosed Wednesday that he was on the market, the tiny Thrashers Nation held out hope that Kovy might accept a hometown discount to stay in a city that he purportedly liked.
But general manager Don Waddell dealt him and teammate Annsi Salmela, a defenseman, Thursday to the New Jersey Devils.
Waddell claimed in a statement that Kovy was presented the second most lucrative offer in NHL annals to a free agent. So, at the end of the ordeal, he did all he could do.
It was at the front end where the Thrashers screwed up. They could have locked down Kovy before the first puck was dropped this season. They could have convinced him that the historically tight-fisted ownership would spend enough to assemble a playoff contender.
But, no. The indifferent management, tied up in a dispute, made a half-assed effort to show Kovy it was serious. While money was a factor, as always with a pro athlete, you gotta believe the club's cloudy future on and off the ice came into play as well.
In return, the Thrashers obtained forward Niclas Bengfors (13 goals, 14 assists this season); defenseman Johnny Oduya; center Patricer Cormier, an apparent tough guy prospect because he was suspended from his minor league for the rest of the season because of a thrown elbow, and a first-round draft pick.
A lot of guys coming and going. The only one that matters to Thrashers Nation is Ilva Kovalchuk, headed for the exits. It's another setback for a franchise that is running out of them
If the Devils re-sign Kovalchuk, then this is excellent for them. If we were going to lose him and the end of the year regardless...in a way it is a good move for us. He was restricted, but that rule has some holes where we could have lost him even if offering the most money. Hopefully these young kids will provide some scoring next year.