Kovalchuk traded before 2010 Olympic hockey trade freeze
The Ilya Kovalchuk sweepstakes are over.
The Russian sniper has been traded to the New Jersey Devils for Swedish defenseman Johnny Oduya, forward Niclas Bergfors, minor-league prospect Patrice Cormier (the same player that we have ripped on in this site), this years first round draft pick and a bag of pucks.
In return, Jersey gets the 26 year-old Russian, as well as Anssi Samlema.
The trade happens on the heels of ‘Kovy’ rejecting Atlanta GM Dave Waddell’s 12-year, $101 million contract extension.
The Devils have been in a slump as of late, including a 3-0 shutout loss to Toronto on Tuesday.
The trade will help the Devils immensely this season. Anssi Salmela is a replacement for Johnny Oduya, who had been struggling this year already, so there isn’t much of a downgrade there. Niclas Bergfors, although currently fifth in scoring among rookies, has his production immediately replaced by Kovalchuk. Losing Bergfors may impact the Devils down the line, but if they can resign Kovalchuk this summer, then this loss will be of no impact.
Cormier, the highly controversial prospect is also out the door. The microscope has been on Cormier after he was suspended for the rest of the season following his vicious hit on Mikael Tam. Putting him into the trade package was most likely a result of his recent transgressions. He’s been caught twice now for vicious elbows and hits, so to get rid of him now likely saved some trouble later. As with everything, time will tell with Cormier.
The Thrashers got a decent return on Kovalchuk. None of the talent they received will be able to equal what Kovalchuk provided for the team. Nonetheless, the team still got some good young talent. But could they have gotten more?
I don’t want to say that the Devils should have or could have given up more, but other teams seemed willing to give up more talent. A lot of you are familiar with my opinions on the Flames and their lack of trade savviness.
Check out our twitter page for all your trade information leading up to the Olympic trade deadline
Related posts:
- By Trading Jokinen and Phaneuf, Darryl Sutter Has Destroyed The 2010 Calgary Flames
- Cormier’s Season Over Following “Intolerable” Offence
- Huskies A Motivating Force For Future Brutal Attacks?
- Olympic Hockey Betting Previews – Gold Medal Game
- Worthwhile wagers outside of hockey’s big two at 2010 Games
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