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Entries with the tag: Ilya+Kovalchuck
Kovalchuk Out Wtih Broken Foot
by Paul on 10/26/09 at 04:24 PM ET
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via Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution,
Thrashers star Ilya Kovalchuk has a broken bone in his right foot and is expected to miss four weeks, the team announced Monday.
Kovalchuk underwent a CT scan on Monday morning to confirm the diagnosis.
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Kovalchuk Could Reach The $100M Category
by Paul on 10/21/09 at 06:22 PM ET
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from Elliotte Friedman of CBC,
According to sources, Atlanta is going to offer him the chance to become the NHL’s second $100 million man. (Alexander Ovechkin was the first.) Under the CBA, the maximum per-year salary he could receive is $11.36 million per season, so it would have to me a minimum nine-year deal. (Thrashers GM Don Waddell would not comment. Same goes for agent Jay Grossman.)
First thing you should know: Other GMs would do the same thing if they were in Waddell’s chair. The comment you hear both inside and outside the organization is the same: “We/They cannot afford to lose him.”
For Atlanta, it goes beyond Kovalchuk’s on-ice performance, which has come a long way since former coach Curt Fraser benched him in Toronto to send the loudest possible message.
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Kovalchuk Concentrating On Hockey, Not Contract
by Paul on 10/18/09 at 09:17 PM ET
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via Pierre LeBrun of ESPN,
While the Thrashers captain and his team were here Sunday practicing at the Dan Snyder Memorial Arena in honor of their fallen teammate, Kovalchuk’s contract talks were brought up after the skate.
When asked about how the Thrashers were cautiously optimistic he would soon sign a contract extension, the superstar winger answered: “Hopefully. I like it here. And I think they did a lot of good things during the offseason to sign some guys and I feel it’s the best team we’ve ever had. They took some good steps. So we’ll see. My agent is talking to them. I just want to focus on hockey."…
I asked Kovalchuk about the rumors coming out of Russia, where a few KHL teams are believed to be interested. He essentially dodged the question.
“We’ll see ... I like it here, and hopefully we’ll figure out something,” he said.
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Report- Kovalchuck Contract Decision May Be Coming Soon
by Paul on 10/17/09 at 10:22 PM ET
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from CBC Sports,
A decision by Atlanta forward Ilya Kovalchuk on his future is coming soon.
The impending Thrashers free agent will decide in the next few weeks whether he will re-sign with the club or choose to test free-agency, according to analysts Pierre LeBrun and Elliotte Friedman on Hockey Night in Canada’s Hotstove segment on Saturday.
“That could happen in the next couple of weeks. [There are] a lot of positive feelings coming out of Atlanta,” LeBrun said. “But there’s a team in the [Kontinental Hockey League] … that I think would love to get its hands on him.”
That team is Russia SKA Saint Petersburg, operated by KHL president Alexander Medvedev. If Kovalchuk moves back to Russia, it would be the biggest coup so far for the fledging super-league.
added 10:33pm, Also discussed on the Hotstove was the salary cap for next season may be flat or go down around 1M. Also discussed Marc Savard is a UFA on July 1, 2010 and rumors are out he is headed to Toronto.
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This Is The Year For Atlanta
by Paul on 10/03/09 at 01:12 PM ET
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Ilya Kovalchuk says it is now or never for the Thrashers.
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The Kovalchuk Trade Talk Begins
by Paul on 09/24/09 at 10:44 AM ET
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from Joe Haggerty of WEEI,
Kovalchuk’s agent Jay Grossman and Atlanta general manager Don Waddell are actively discussing a potential contract extension for the player who is the NHL’s leading scorer since the beginning of the 2001 season, but it wouldn’t be shocking if the Russian takes a wait-and-see approach before signing on the dotted line.
If the 26-year-old rugged scoring machine isn’t locked up by the Thrashers, then pay close attention to the Bruins’ interest level throughout the season after they stockpiled draft picks in the Phil Kessel deal. B’s GM Peter Chiarelli now has seven picks in the first two rounds of the next two drafts, and he owns five of the first 60 picks in next summer’s well-stocked draft rife with blue-chip talent.
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Waiting On Kovalchuk
by Paul on 09/14/09 at 06:07 PM ET
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from Craig Custance of the Sporting News,
After this season, Kovalchuk’s contract is up. If he gets to July 1, he’ll be the most sought-after free agent of the summer — a 40-goal scorer entering his prime.
That’s the last thing general manager Don Waddell and the Thrashers want to happen. And, right now, they’re cautiously optimistic it won’t. Waddell told Sporting News that Kovalchuk, his agent Jay Grossman and Thrashers management plan to sit down in training camp, face to face.
Waddell would love for that meeting to wrap up negotiations.
“That’s the best way to get this thing done,” Waddell said. “We’ve had good dialogue. It’s at the point now where something needs to happen.”
Until then, Kovalchuk will be watching, looking for signs that the summer additions of forward Nik Antropov and defenseman Pavel Kubina, along with the development of young talent like Zach Bogosian, Tobias Enstrom, Bryan Little and Evander Kane, will be enough to push the Thrashers back into playoff contention.
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Update On Kovalchuk Contract Talk
by Paul on 08/24/09 at 05:45 PM ET
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from Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution,
Thrashers general manager Don Waddell described the ongoing contract negotiations with star Ilya Kovalchuk as “constructive” and said Monday that he is optimistic that a new deal would be completed. Waddell said the two sides have exchanged contract proposals.
“We’ve had several face-to-face meetings,” Waddell said. “We’ve had some very, very long discussions.”
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Talking Kovalchuk Contract
by Paul on 07/20/09 at 12:13 PM ET
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from Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution,
Negotiations are expected to heat up this week between general manager Don Waddell and Ilya Kovalchuk’s agent, Jay Grossman. The two sides aren’t saying much publicly that they haven’t said before. Waddell sent me an email Monday, saying: “It’s our goal to sign Ilya to a long-term deal.” Grossman declined comment. (He’s known as a tough agent, but issuing negotiating rhetoric to the media isn’t his thing.)
Kovalchuk has a year left on his contract at $7.5 million. Theoretically, his new deal could pay him up to $11.2 million per season (20 percent of the NHL salary cap of $56 million). The bigger issue is term: The NHL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement has no cap on length of contract.
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Trying To Keep Kovalchuk
by Paul on 07/06/09 at 03:07 PM ET
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from Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution,
It’s an odd task. Don Waddell is making moves with the goal of improving his hockey club, which ordinarily would be a general manager’s highest priority. But this GM has something more in mind:
He’s trying to impress Ilya Kovalchuk.
The best player in Thrashers history is scheduled to become a free agent next summer. He has given indications he’d like to stay here, but his desire is conditional: The Thrashers must first get better. “I know for sure we need some more players,” Kovalchuk told reporters after the final game of last season, and that’s where Waddell comes in.
Known as the Teflon Don in some circles for his ability to avoid blame — and to stick like Krazy Glue to his GM’s chair — Waddell has had an impressive fortnight. The Thrashers appeared to do well in the NHL draft, picking a power forward in Round 1 who might soon be with the big club. (Waddell to Evander Kane on draft night: “You’re going to look good next to Ilya Kovalchuk.”)
And then, scarcely having returned from Montreal, Waddell authored two more big moves: A trade with Toronto that yielded defenseman Pavel Kubina, and the free-agent signing of right wing Nik Antropov, who has two things going for him: He’s a good player who’s an F.O.I. (friend of Ilya’s).
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If You See The Name Kovalchuk In Trade Rumors, Just Forget About It
by Paul on 05/16/09 at 05:28 PM ET
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from Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution,
Ilya Kovalchuk will be a Thrasher next season.
General manager Don Waddell told the Journal-Constitution last week that, unequivocally, Kovalchuk will remain with the team as it attempts to re-sign one of the NHL’s elite players. There will be no trade deadline move — such as with Marian Hossa — if negotiations reach an impasse....
Kovalchuk, 26, has made it clear that to re-sign him, the Thrashers must improve a team that has missed the playoffs the past two seasons after failing to win a game in its only postseason appearance.
“If I feel like we’re in the right direction, for sure I think we’ll figure out a way to sign a new deal,” Kovalchuk told the AJC last month.
For Kovalchuk to stay, a player such as Kari Lehtonen might go.
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Morning Line
by Paul on 04/13/09 at 08:03 AM ET
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“We need to sign some free agents- spend some money. If you look on the roster of all the teams who are going to compete for the playoffs- but not just the playoffs because I don’t want to compete for just the playoffs- I want to compete for a Cup. I think the city deserves it. Hopefully we can sign some free agents.”
-Ilya Kovalchuk of the Atlanta Thrashers. More from Ben Wright at Blueland Blog.
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Kovalchuk Downplays Ovechkin/Malkin Reunion
by Paul on 01/27/09 at 04:32 PM ET
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via Mike Knobler of Thrashers Blog at the AJC,
Kovalchuk has been credited with getting Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin to end their feud over the weekend. Kovalchuk, in typical fashion, downplayed his role.
“I don’t know what they’re talking about,” Kovalchuk said of his reported role as peacemaker. “They’re both Russians. They were always friends. Russians hit each other on the ice, they make a big deal about it. Canadians fight all the time, and they don’t say anything.”
Ovechkin did some guest DJing at a club. Kovalchuk didn’t spin any tunes.
“He was pretty good. I just was listening,” Kovalchuk said. Did Ilya dance? “A little bit,” he said.
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Thrashers Bet On Kovalchuk
by Paul on 01/11/09 at 07:51 PM ET
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from Ben Wright of Blueland Blog,
We have a captain! Following the player introductions here at Casino Night Don Waddell presented Ilya Kovalchuk with a new jersey- one with a C on it. After consulting with the alternate captains and coaching staff it was decided that Ilya will serve as the Thrashers team captain.
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No Trade Talk Regarding Kovalchuk
by Paul on 12/10/08 at 09:31 PM ET
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from Craig Custance of the Sporting News,
Kovalchuk, who can become a free agent in 2010, is the subject of numerous trade rumors. The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch reported that Waddell has held serious discussions with several teams about trading Kovalchuk.
“I can tell you 100 percent on my grave, whose ever grave you want, I’ve never spoken to one team about trading Ilya Kovalchuk,” Waddell told SportingNews.com.
Seems clear enough, but sometimes hockey executives like to play semantics. So when he says he hasn’t talked to a team, maybe he really means he’s been e-mailing the entire league about Kovalchuk’s availability.
Or text messaging. Or sending assistant GM Larry Simmons out to do the dirty work.
Waddell laughed at those suggestions, but continued to eliminate options just to be clear.
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Time To Move Kovalchuk
by Paul on 12/04/08 at 08:17 AM ET
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from Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution,
We all expect Ilya Kovalchuk to leave when his contract expires after the 2010 season, but there’s no need for Don Waddell to wait. The general manager should clear the air that befogs his last-place team. He should trade Kovalchuk now.
Kovalchuk has flashed past the point of diminishing returns. He has averaged 42 goals over his first six seasons; he’s on pace to score 24. He has averaged 3.7 shots per game over those six seasons; he’s averaging 2.8 shots now. He’s playing like a man who wants to be elsewhere.
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What To Do With Kovalchuk
by Paul on 12/02/08 at 06:04 PM ET
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from Michael Farber of Sports Illustrated,
“I put thinking in the future (on the back burner) because I love hockey so much,” Kovalchuk told On The Fly. “Sometimes I get frustrated, but it’s not like I go home and cry in my pillow. We’ll get through this and be a better team.”
The question: Will Kovalchuk be around to see it?
read on with some Oiler and Norris Trophy talk too…
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Will Kovalchuk Get The Message
by Paul on 12/01/08 at 10:47 AM ET
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via Mike Knobler of Thrashers Blog,
Yes, that’s Ilya Kovalchuk wearing a red sweater today at Thrashers practice, along with Marty Reasoner and Chris Thorburn. The red sweater has been the fourth line sweater all year. Reasoner has been a third-line center, and Thorburn has bounced between the third and fourth lines.
If John Anderson wanted to make a statement, he picked a strong way to make it.
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Fighting Words
by Paul on 11/26/08 at 10:30 AM ET
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via Mike Knobler of the AJC,
(Ian)White called Kovalchuk “selfish” for going after him and taking a double-minor that could have hurt Atlanta. Kovalchuk said he was just finishing what White started.
White’s version: “I finished my check off. Clean hit. And then he took a run at me on the far blue [line]. So I followed him up the ice, I was saying something to him, and he stopped, and I wasn’t expecting that, obviously. I was protecting myself. That’s the ugly part of the game. He’ll get what’s coming to him.”
Kovalchuk: “Whatever he wants to say. The score on the board, we win. We get two points [in the standings]. We’ve got three games [left] against them, so if he’s got something he wants to say, I’m always ready to answer.”
Watch the fight below…
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Kovalchuk Needs To Play Like A Super Star
by Paul on 11/23/08 at 09:56 AM ET
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from The Falconer of Do The Thrashers Have Large Talons,
lya Kovalchuk has the talent to be a superstar. He has the speed, he still has that ungodly release. He will certainly expect to be paid like a superstar when he negotiates his next contract. But if he wants to be treated like a superstar, he should play like one.
It is time for him to show up. The season started 19 games ago. I don’t want to hear any baloney about Kovalchuk not having quality linemates. Last season, Kovalchuk was centered much of the year by Todd White (who has never even been considered All-Star Game material), and a 40-year-old right winger who was dropped to waivers by his previous club (Mark Recchi).
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Is Kovalchuk ‘C’ Worthy
by Paul on 11/19/08 at 07:38 AM ET
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from Mike Knobler of Thrashers Blog at the AJC,
This is about more than a “C” on the jersey. It’s about Kovalchuk truly fulfilling his amazing potential. There’s a certain comfort level in being one of the guys, in not wanting to stand out, or, perhaps more accurately, not wanting to risk being perceived as putting yourself above other people around you. But if you want true greatness, you have to get over that. You have to be willing to risk setting yourself apart and above if you want to lead.
Barack Obama had to be willing to run for president, with the real possibility he would fail and the certainty people would accuse him of being presumptuous — “uppity” was Rep. Lynn Westmoreland’s unfortunate word — for seeking that office. Kovalchuk doesn’t have to run for president. But he does have to step forward, rather than waiting to be anointed.
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Kovalchuck Talks
by Paul on 11/14/08 at 12:59 PM ET
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from Greg Wyshynski aka Puck Daddy,
Just so we’re clear: Dmitry Chesnokov has translated this interview from Igor Arkhipov of Sovetsky Sport, but did not conduct it.
Questions and comments from Sovetsky Sport are in bold; Kovalchuk’s translated answers follow. We edited out a few clunkers and Russian-specific questions.
What if players in the NHL start speak critically about each other, what will happen in the NHL?
“Semin didn’t just start talking about Crosby. He was asked a question by one of your reporters… You know, players here are frequently asked about who is better Gretzky or Lemieux. It is virtually in every interview. One can make a big deal out of this too. Let’s say you pick Lemieux. And what’s next? Will you be blamed for not liking Gretzky?
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Forget The Kovalchuk Trade Talk
by Paul on 11/02/08 at 04:01 PM ET
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from Pierre LeBrun’s Blog at ESPN,
There were reports coming out of Russia this weekend that star winger Ilya Kovalchuk was on the trade block. Not so, Atlanta Thrashers GM Don Waddell told us. “I can you tell you that is definitely not the case."…
First of all, Kovalchuk has another year left on his deal after this season at $7.5 million. He’s not eligible for unrestricted free agency until July 1, 2010. Why the heck would Waddell be shopping him now? In my mind, Waddell would be writing his own pink slip if he did that.
more hockey topics like, head hits, the Canadiens and some Sundin talk too…
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Kovalchuk Enjoying Life In Atlanta
by Paul on 10/01/08 at 04:13 PM ET
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from Craig Custance of the Sporting News,
He insists a trade request has never creeped into his head?
“No, not really. I like everything here,” Kovalchuk said. “It’s a great city, my family loves it here. I feel very comfortable in the locker room and with management, trainers, everybody. I don’t have any problems. If we’re going to play well, I want to stay here. I want to win the Cup and bring it here because I was drafted by this team.”
It’s a different situation, he explains, than that of former teammate Hossa, who made headlines when he passed on huge money to join the Detroit Red Wings for one season so he can try to win the Stanley Cup.
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All Kovalchuck
by Paul on 09/22/08 at 07:21 PM ET
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from Darren Eliot at Sports Illustrated,
I had the chance to sit down with the Thrashers’ superstar as training camp opened in Atlanta.
SI.com: There are many who say this is your team—yours to lead. How does that make you feel?
Kovalchuk: I’m ready. I want that pressure. We need to win. Everyone just has to do their jobs and not try to do too much.
SI.com: What was your first impression of coach Anderson?
Kovalchuk: Very positive. He wants to skate and have scoring from everywhere. It was a good meeting.
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Keep Kovalchuk
by Paul on 08/01/08 at 10:05 AM ET
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from the ICEMAN Bloggeth at the AJC,
See, unlike Hossa, Ilya Kovalchuk isn’t just an Atlanta Thrasher… he IS the Atlanta Thrashers right now. He is the man to build an O-fense around. One cannot give up and send him away simply because they’re afraid he might walk in two years. Besides, the players you’d get in return…are THEY going to make this team their own? Are THEY going to arrive in Atlanta all smiley-like and giggling ‘til they puke because they just left Montreal or Calgary or Minnesota or Colorado or New York or Boston to play for the Waddell/Spirit Group-led Thrashers?
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Kovalchuk Looking For Wins
by Paul on 04/06/08 at 08:30 PM ET
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from Craig Custance of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution,
Yes, Kovalchuk’s 52 goals this season tied his own franchise record, but that’s not the number that will put him in the stratosphere with the league’s all-time best.
Only playoff wins do that, and after six seasons, Kovalchuk is still sitting at zero.
“It doesn’t matter how many goals you score — 50-goal season, 30-goal season, two-goal season. When you’re a loser, it’s the worst,” Kovalchuk said.
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Bullseye
by Paul on 03/19/08 at 06:13 AM ET
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Ilya Kovalchuck hits 50 last night in a 3-2 loss ot Philadelphia.
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