As much as this isn’t directly related to the Leafs anymore, it still kind of is. Ilya Kovalchuk is a fantastic hockey player. Wait, let me rephrase that, Ilya Kovalchuk is a great offensive hockey player and a superstar goalscorer. In his 8 NHL seasons and 621 games played, the tallied 338 goals and 304 assists (642 points). That puts his NHL average at about 1.03 points per game. He is a fantastic skater who possesses great stride, speed and is one of the most influential powerplay performers I have ever seen. That’s mainly due to his offensive instincts and a superior shot that is easily one of the best in the game, if not the best. That said, would I want him on our team? My answer is plain and simple, my answer is no. And here is why.

Burke is a smart man. I love the fact he distanced himself from all the Kovalchuk talk long before all of this insanity started. He knew that this guy wasn’t going to be easy. I get contract demands, free agency leverages, negotiation and playing hardball. I really do. What I don’t get is trying to make yourself look bigger than the league and asking for insane money AND term. Kovalchuk is asking Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin money. And Vincent Lecavalier money, but that’s another matter entirely. Not to stray too far away from my point, Lecavalier wasn’t an unrestricted free agent in an open market when signing that deal, he also wasn’t to blame for trying to make the most of having incompetent management that almost ruined the entire franchise. All in all, Lecavalier only tried to do it once. Just to get back on track here, is Ilya Kovalchuk Alexander Ovechkin? I get how it would be unfair to compare him with a centerman of Crosby’s caliber, so a winger it is. The only possible winger with which Kovalchuk’s value is comparable at that. Since we’ve already looked at Kovalchuk’s stats, let’s take a peek at Ovechkin. In his 5 NHL seasons he has totalled 396 games, 269 goals with 260 assists for 529 points. A 1.34 PPG. All that aside, Ovechkin is a better, more dynamic goalscorer that has a bigger overall influence on a game. His intensity, overall defensive play (although that has room for improvement) is better than Kovalchuk’s total package. His plus minus, which, if not looking at the whole picture can indeed be attributed to him playing on a better team most of his career, is much better. About the plus minus, looking at Ovechkin’s first two seasons in the league, it’s not as if the Caps were a powerhouse back then and you can compare those stats to the relatively successful seasons the Thrashers had, by doing this they basically end up even. For example, I’ll compare his 2006-07 season in which the Thrashers made the playoffs, to Ovechkin’s first and second season. Now keep in mind that by this time, Kovalchuk is an already established NHL player, while Ovechkin is a rookie or a guy with one year of NHL experience. In 2006-07 Ovechkin was -19, while Kovalchuk was -2. Next year Ovechkin was +28. Kovalchuk was -12. In his rookie year (2005-06) Ovechkin was +2, Kovalchuk was -6. To sum it all up, in those three seasons, Ovechkin was +11, Kovalchuk -20. Well, I guess it’s not all that even. All that based on stats from the years in which the Thrashers had their best team in history, while the Caps were, well, at the start of building a new look for their franchise. And to top it all off, Ovechkin hits, actually destroys people and is built like a Russian tank. He is perfectly suited for the North American game. As for Kovalchuk? Well, I think I remember a hit. It’s kinda foggy but it happened. I’m sure. Ok, now that we have established that Ovechkin is a better player than Kovalchuk (which is basically clear to any person that knows anything about the game of hockey) how do we proceed? Ah yes, character.

From a neutral’s perspective, Kovalchuk played GM Don Waddell and the Atlanta Thrashers. He himself stated in a interview which I personally heard, with my own healthy ears, that his first option was to stay in Atlanta hours before him being traded to the Devils. Don Waddell reportedly offered 12-year, $101 million and seven-year, $70 million contracts, both of which Kovachuk turned down. Turned down you say? Atlanta was his first choice. Yes I too would turn down my first choice, especially if they offered me the kind of money you can’t spend in one lifetime. Ok yeah I would if it really wasn’t my first choice (oh you, you caught me lying there didn’t you) orrrrrr I wanted to play for a Stanley Cup contending team and I was only telling the story of my heart warming love for Atlanta to ease the fans who loved me for so many years. All 10 of you guys deserve my respect. Let’s get serious. Ok he wanted to play for a contending team. There is nothing wrong with that. So he got traded to the Devils. We all know how that ended. Suffice it to say there wasn’t a Stanley Cup in the story. So, third time’s the charm eh? He didn’t want to try in Atlanta, things didn’t click with NJ and before we knew it, we had probably the most influential UFA ever hit the open market. First in line, the LA Kings. Allegedly, the Kings did everything they possibly could to land the superstar scorer. The deal offered was reportedly the most Kings could offer without jeopardizing the future of the team in Drew Doughty, who still has to be locked up long term. He turned them down. Then, out of the blue, the Internet was flooded with news reports linking Ilya Kovalchuk to the NY Islanders. Rumor was the Isles had an offer that could well be in the 10-year, $100 million range. If that were the case, I’d rank it even beyond the Lecavalier contract nonsense, but I highly doubt it would happen. If it were to happen though, I suspect it would be around 9, 9.5 mil max. That’s not the point. My question is this, why would Ilya Kovalchuk want to turn down an offer from a legitimate Stanley Cup contender (LA Kings), only to sign for around as much for a rebuilding team not unlike the Atlanta Thrashers, who btw, after the GM change, are looking really promising? I guess only Kovalchuk knows the answer to those questions, all I know is that I don’t want that kind of character (pun intended) in our Leafs’ dressing room. I only hope he cares for the Cup more than the extra million, and if so, he’ll re-sign with NJ or LA and try for it. He’ll earn my respect then, be it a respect for a total and utter character. He might be, like Lou Lamorello says, a hard working, team player, but after all this, who can believe him?

Mislav “Xterratu” Jantoljak