Kovalchuk

[Topher]

Looks like every report and coming out of Kovalchuks agent that it is over press conference tomorrow and he is staying in New Jersey.

[Shoalzie]

TSN is reporting it...it sounds like this saga is finally coming to an end.

http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=327880

What I'm curious to know if he's signing a long-term deal similar to Zetterberg or Hossa or is he signing a short-term contract for more money annually and then he'll try again to get a long-term deal in a year or two. I think the Kings probably couldn't commit to him because they have some key young players that need to signed long-term (Doughty, Johnson, Simmonds)...don't want to run into the same issues as the Blackhawks.

[Nick]

don't want to run into the same issues as the Blackhawks.

What's that? Winning the cup? LOL

[kyuss]

LOL @ Lombardi.. unable to sign even the star free agents that want to play for the Kings!

[shooker]

smart decision on lombardi's part imo. Kovalchuk would have crippled la hard.

What's that? Winning the cup? LOL

Paid off for Chicago for sure but they chose Hossa. Hossa is much more of a well rounded player and a good team guy than kovlachuk. Hossa also came at a price tag of just over 5, instead of what I expect in the upwards of 9 that is being reported for Kovalchuk. If I was wanting to win now I would chose Hossa.

[Nick]

the reports on Kovy are all over the map.

1x10M
7x60M
15x101M

[MSP4LYFE]

Paid off for Chicago for sure but they chose Hossa. Hossa is much more of a well rounded player and a good team guy than kovlachuk. Hossa also came at a price tag of just over 5, instead of what I expect in the upwards of 9 that is being reported for Kovalchuk. If I was wanting to win now I would chose Hossa.

Don't talk about who is a bettter team guy...You have no fucking clue who is the better team guy, unless you have acess into the locker rooms of each player throughout their careers...Kovy was a C on Atlanta, and re-signed by Lou Lamoriello, someone who places a great emphasis on character...I think it's safe to say Kovy isn't the cancer you ar falsely portraying him to be.

As for the argument of who is a better player, the only thing Hossa has on Kovy is his play in the defensive zone, that's it! Kovy is a better shooter, stick handler, skater, fighter, hitter, pp option, passer etc.

[Nick]

Kovy is right near the top of the league as for being the best player IMO. I'm not saying he's Sid or Ovy, but IMO he's got an argument for ANYONE else in the league; maybe even them with a proper organization & teammates.

[shooker]

Don't talk about who is a bettter team guy...You have no fucking clue who is the better team guy, unless you have acess into the locker rooms of each player throughout their careers...Kovy was a C on Atlanta, and re-signed by Lou Lamoriello, someone who places a great emphasis on character...I think it's safe to say Kovy isn't the cancer you ar falsely portraying him to be.

As for the argument of who is a better player, the only thing Hossa has on Kovy is his play in the defensive zone, that's it! Kovy is a better shooter, stick handler, skater, fighter, hitter, pp option, passer etc.

no doubt kovy is a better scorer, but in his own end looks like you out there kareem and for a push you need a complete player imo. the guy is no doubt a generational talent im just saying if im trying to win I take hossa at 5.25 or what ever it is over kovalchuk at 8.8 that tsn is reporting (true or not, hopefully not cause 17 year deal is retarded).

also you have no fucking clue what you are talking about when it comes to njd. Ive followed them for years as I am a giant marty fan. lou has been known in the past to give a dumb contract to one selfish ass....aka mogliny....he does this all the time and can justify one bitch per team. I am not saying he shouldnt sign in njd I think thats a perfect spot for him, im saying a budding young team like la doesnt need a brutal contract. thats all.

[Shoalzie]

What's that? Winning the cup? LOL

Yeah, winning the cup is nice but having to nuke your supporting cast because your previous GM butchered the cap...that kinda sucks. If the Hawks turn around and repeat as champions, I'll eat my words.

[Nick]

Kinda hard to blame Talon when he also built the entire team....

[shooker]

also saying a "thats it" comment to defensivly reliablity is like saying all heatly can do is score...to be able to score and yet be defensivly reliable is huge, something i dont expect you to understand as you play soccer not hockey

[kyuss]

Kovy is right near the top of the league as for being the best player IMO. I'm not saying he's Sid or Ovy, but IMO he's got an argument for ANYONE else in the league; maybe even them with a proper organization & teammates.

kovy doesn't possess the hockey sense to ever be considered together with the top 3.
He is great at the same things he was already great at 8yrs ago.. his play, especially away from the puck, barely evolved.. not enough anyway to be considered a contender for top player in the league.

[Scott]

Mik you think Gaborik is the 2 best winger in the league.. nobody cares what you think.

[jcarton]

Crazy, never thought kovy would stay in Jersey

[kyuss]

Mik you think Gaborik is the 2 best winger in the league.. nobody cares what you think.

mmh.. i talked about a 100% healthy Gaborik though (something we don't see very often), i need to point that out so that people disagreeing are sure to be wrong

that being said, if you assure me i won't be banned for inactivity as a result, i'll save myself the effort to make comments in the future

[Scott]

Just razzin ya Mik.. lol

[kyuss]

Just razzin ya Mik.. lol

you mean i would be banned for not trying anymore to enlighten you?!

[MSP4LYFE]

no doubt kovy is a better scorer, but in his own end looks like you out there kareem and for a push you need a complete player imo. the guy is no doubt a generational talent im just saying if im trying to win I take hossa at 5.25 or what ever it is over kovalchuk at 8.8 that tsn is reporting (true or not, hopefully not cause 17 year deal is retarded).

also you have no fucking clue what you are talking about when it comes to njd. Ive followed them for years as I am a giant marty fan. lou has been known in the past to give a dumb contract to one selfish ass....aka mogliny....he does this all the time and can justify one bitch per team. I am not saying he shouldnt sign in njd I think thats a perfect spot for him, im saying a budding young team like la doesnt need a brutal contract. thats all.

Mogilny is a "selfish ass"...We are talking about one of, if not, the greatest goal scoring wingers (in his prime) in the history of the NHL. There was nothing stupid about that contract, unfortunately the legs of Alexander didn't hold up, and the rest is history, but injuries happen, and no one makes a deal under the assumption that a player won't fulfill the duration of their contract because of health concerns. If they did, the deal wouldn't be signed.

Irregardless, we are not talking about Alexander Mogilny, we are discussing Ilya Kovalchuk and to the very best of my knowledge he is an exceptional guy in the locker room, the players on Atlanta loved him, we was named captain, and in Lou Lamorello's press conference he made it clear that character was not an issue with Kovalchuk, he even went on to say (paraphrasing) that the NJ staff place a great emphasis on their character evaluations, which shouldn't come as any surprise. Furthermore, IF the deal is 17 years it won't be for a cap hit of 8.8 it would obviously be at a much lower hit, ala the Zetterberg, Savard, Datysuk and Hossa deals. If you find that retarded than you are a hypocrite because in the same sentence you stated a desire to bring on Hossa instead, a player who also has a front loaded contract, not to mention older and far less talented.

In closing, I would just like to make it clear that there is no comparison between Hossa and Kovalchuk; so what if Hossa plays better d? Kovy is a forward, not a defenceman, his shortcomings can be made up with good two way linemates, and/or good two way third liners, and to a greater extent his own play in the offensive zone. As the saying goes, "the best defense is a good offense." Moreover, Kovy would have been a great fit with LA, he is young and fits into the long term plan of that club. Kovalchuk brings elite scoring, opens up space for his linemates, and provides a veteran prescence in the locker room. You take that over a good, but not great scorer like Hossa who is 31, and often a no show in the playoffs everyday of the week. Perhaps if you werent so biased towards Kovalchuck you could make a rationale and informed argument, but since you are not objective towards him alot of what you are writing is hard to take with any more than a grain of salt.

[MSP4LYFE]

also saying a "thats it" comment to defensivly reliablity is like saying all heatly can do is score...to be able to score and yet be defensivly reliable is huge, something i dont expect you to understand as you play soccer not hockey

When you score 50 goals annually, defensive responsibilty takes a back seat, but I suppose you would prefer a 20 goal scorer with great defense...I'm obviously not the only one who thinks that, seeing as how OV is widely regarded as the best player in the world, and one of the biggest knocks on him from yourself, Nick and others is his defense...But your right, defense is the be all and end all of life as we know it...KESLER4MVP!

As fro your second point, I can't help but giggle, it's really hard to take you seriously with comments like that, weren't you the same idiot who complained about the sport of soccer because it was so defensive minded and thus so few goals were scored...Idiot.