As hockey fans and pundits look at this summer’s unrestricted free-agent market, which opens on July 1, New Jersey Devils winger Ilya Kovalchuk is expected to be the most sought-after player in an otherwise shallow pool.
Sitting behind only Washington’s Alexander Ovechkin for most goals scored post-lockout and coming off his sixth consecutive 40-plus goal season, the 27-year-old Kovalchuk is perhaps the most talented unrestricted free agent in NHL history.
Since being dealt from the Atlanta Thrashers to the Devils in February, there’s been considerable speculation as to where Kovalchuk might land. He’s been linked to the Los Angeles Kings and New York Rangers while Devils management has also expressed a desire to re-sign him.
It’s understandable why the Devils would like to keep Kovalchuk. He brought offensive star power to a team that has traditionally lacked a scoring superstar. Given their need to bolster attendance in their new arena, having Kovalchuk in the lineup could boost ticket sales.
Even St. Petersburg of Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League is rumored to have offered a two-year deal worth more than $10 million per season.
Kovalchuk reportedly intends to treat this situation professionally and consider all his options. He’ll examine the caliber of the teams, weigh the different offers plus take into account which city would best suit his family.
It’s anticipated the bulk of the free-agent offers could come from Western Conference clubs, but one Eastern team might be a good fit for Kovalchuk: the Toronto Maple Leafs.
It’s easy to dismiss the possibility Kovalchuk would want to play in a cold weather city like Toronto for a rebuilding Leafs team that missed the playoffs five straight seasons and currently has more than $51 million committed to 17 players for 2010-11.
Outspoken Leafs general manager Brian Burke has claimed to be averse to signing veteran free agents to long, expensive contracts with movement clauses.
Still, the Leafs are lacking a franchise player around which to rebuild and a proven superstar like Kovalchuk could be what’s needed to change the losing dynamic in Toronto.
During Kovalchuk’s days with the Thrashers, the perception was he was simply an offensive player who rarely back-checked, something which is usually a no-no on Burke’s teams .
After joining the Devils in February, however, Kovalchuk earned praise in New Jersey and around the league for his smooth transition into their defensive system, still averaging a point-per-game while playing more responsibly in his own zone.
Any lingering perception of being a one-dimensional player dissipated during his Devils tenure, something that can’t be lost on Burke, who was mentored by Devils GM Lou Lamoriello and understands how demanding the Devils' system can be.
Kovalchuk could also bring some valuable leadership to the Leafs. He was the captain of the Thrashers in 2009-10 and was also named captain of Russia’s team at the 2010 World Hockey Championships.
At 27, Kovalchuk has eight NHL seasons under his belt, is in the prime of his career, and has the maturity to deal with the demanding Toronto market to go with the talent to help turn them into a playoff contender.
Although the Leafs have been the NHL’s top revenue maker, they’re not in a position to be inflexible. After five straight years of losing and with their Stanley Cup drought now at 43 year and counting, Toronto fans are growing restless.
The Leafs are set in goal with veteran J.S. Giguere and promising sophomore Jonas Gustavsson — it’s rumored they could shop defenseman Tomas Kaberle at the upcoming NHL entry draft. But with returning veterans Dion Phaneuf, Mike Komisarek and Francois Beauchemin plus youngster Luke Schenn, they really don’t need to add much more depth to their blueline.
But at forward, the Leafs are dangerously thin with only one proven offensive threat in center Phil Kessel, who had his second straight 30-goal season in 2009-10 but at times appeared to struggle carrying the offensive load.
Beyond Kessel, the Leafs will have to rely on young, relatively inexperienced forwards like Tyler Bozak, Viktor Stahlberg, Luca Caputi, Nikolai Kulemin, John Mitchell, Christian Hanson and Nazim Kadri.
Burke doesn’t have many trade options and beyond Kovalchuk, no one’s available in this summer’s thin free-agent market that could step in and be a real difference-maker for the Leafs. This could be Burke’s best opportunity to bring a superstar to Toronto around which to rebuild.
The Leafs, however, currently have less than $8 million in available cap space and would have to make room for Kovalchuk.
If they trade Kaberle and his $4.25 million salary and either trade, demote or buy out overpaid blueliner Jeff Finger and one-dimensional center Mikhail Grabovski or Kulemin, it could give Burke room to sign Kovalchuk and still leave enough space to re-sign his remaining key free agents and perhaps add some additional affordable depth.
So why would Kovalchuk have any interest in joining a rebuilding Leafs team when he left an Atlanta Thrashers club that has also missed the playoffs for several years and is going through the rebuilding process?
One reason is that unlike the Thrashers, the Leafs aren’t going to eventually pull up stakes and leave Toronto. Another is Burke, who has a proven record of taking over floundering franchises and turning them into contenders and champions. Finally, after years of toiling in Atlanta led to a lack of appreciation of his talents, Kovalchuk would have the opportunity to strut his stuff on the biggest hockey stage in North America.
It remains to be seen if Burke has any real interest in Kovalchuk but as we’ve seen over the years, he’s not afraid to make bold moves to improve his teams. Landing a player of the caliber of Kovalchuk would be his boldest.
