True to yesterdays promise he would be dealing Superstar wing Ilya Kovalchuk, Atlanta Thrasher GM Don Waddell moved the Russian sniper to the New Jersey Devils. Reports suggest Waddell realised there was no deal to be had after Kovalchuks camp turned down an offer of 12 years and $101m.
Firstly, the deal in full.
New Jersey acquire
Ilya Kovalchuk
Anssi Salmela
Atlanta’s 2nd round pick 2010
Atlanta acquire
Niclas Bergfors
Johnny Oduya
Patrice Cormier
New Jersey’s 1st round pick 2010
New Jersey’s 2nd round pick 2010
In dealing away Kovalchuk the Thrashers lose their only genuine star player. After being drafted 1st overall in 2001, Kovalchuk played 524 games in Atlanta setting franchise records of 328 goals and 278 assists. His best scoring year came two seasons ago when he netted 52 and he has one (shared) Rocket Richard from the 2003-04 season. However, this past season Kovalchuk has shown a new commitment to the defensive side of his game and is no longer the liability away from the puck he used to be.
New Jersey GM Lou Lamoriello is one of the most savvy managers around and you know he wouldn’t have made this deal if a) he didn’t think Kovalchuk and his dynamic style could fit into the Devils airtight defensive systems and b) he didn’t think he had a shot at signing him to a long term deal in the summer. Some may argue Lou is simply rolling the dice seeing an Eastern Conference where every contender has holes and decided that with Marty Brodeur nearing the end of his career it was worth gambling on a rental but generally that’s not how he works.
Lamoriello will be hoping Kovalchuk can have the same impact on New Jersey as another Russian, Alex Mogilny did when he was picked up in 2000. Mogilny also came with a reputation as being an inconsistent back-checker despite mercurial offensive talents but he meshed immediately into the Devils style of play and helped them win a Cup that year. Kovalchuk looks an ideal fit with Zach Parise and Jamie Langenbrunner who are both very responsible two way players, taking some of the pressure off him on the defensive end.
So, what about the rest of the deal? Well, Anssi Salmela was actually traded the other way last year for Nic Havelid so Lamoriello knows exactly what he’s getting there. The Finn has played 29 games this year and is +4 with 5 points (1+4). He won’t replace the offensive side of Oduya’s game but is projected to be a solid defenseman.
Atlanta’s acquisitions are where the interest will be longer term. As I wrote previously in ‘Atlanta Thrashed?’, Atlanta’s franchise could struggle to recover from losing their one big draw so how did Waddell do in getting value back?
Well, the first round pick is likely to be late so that won’t immediately improve the team and they downgraded with the swap of 2nd’s so ignore those for now. The three players are the interesting bit. Waddell had insisted he wanted a top 6 forward, top 4 defenseman and a combination of prospects and picks so from that perspective he achieved what he wanted. My concern for him may be that the players he got in return aren’t ready enough to help Atlanta now.
Niclas Bergfors, 22 is in his 2nd NHL season although technically still a rookie. He was a 1st round pick in the 2005 draft and has impressed with 27 points (13+14) in 54 games although he is a worrying -7 on a winning, defensively strong team. Bergfors certainly has NHL skills but consistency has been an issue at times, although he was picked by one of our writers for rookie of the year in our ‘Mid-Season Awards’.
Oduya, 28 is a two way defenceman originally drafted by Washington in 2001. He has been a dissapointment this season with just 4 points (2+2) and +2 in an injury hit 40 games. Oduya is in his 4th NHL season and the last two he has been extremely impressive with a combined 55 points (13+42) and +48. If he can regain that form he’ll be a very nice addition to the Thrashers back-line but the jury’s still out on whether those numbers were a result of the system rather than his own play.
The final piece was prospect Patrice Cormier. 19 year old Cormier was Canada’s Captain at the recent World Juniors and a 2nd round pick in 2008 although he has become more famous for being suspended two weeks ago for the remainder of the QMJHL (major junior) season follwing a high hit to Quebec Remparts Michael Tam. Cormier has plenty of skills and is an excellent leader, if he can put that suspension behind him next year he could become an excellent addition.
Overall New Jersey fans will be delighted with this deal. I do feel for Don Waddell as this is the 2nd time in three seasons he’s been forced into trading a star with other teams knowing he has to trade them, driving the price down. I’m not sure he could have got a whole lot more though. Rumours of what other teams were willing to part with looked better but no-one really knows what firm offers he had and I have no doubt Waddell would have preferred send Kovalchuk out West to LA or Chicago if he felt he could get value back. Oduya has two more years on his deal, Berfors shouldn’t be an expensive re-sign and Cormier is likely ready for a 3rd line role next year so the Thrashers will see a return whereas the Devils may only have Kovalchuk for a few months.
You can’t say anything other than New Jersey win this deal, they also are probably now favourites to come out of the East. Atlanta will have to wait and see, whether that will be in Atlanta or another city is a question for another day.
