Hockeybird.com: The Kovalev Sweepstakes

Rejoice! Though it has been harder to watch than Magic
Johnson's talk show, the season will finally re-ignite
your passion for hockey.

Sather needs to re-establish his hockey reputation, and after
three losing seasons he must deliver a core of young players.

He already proved he wasn't willing to trade young players
for veterans as evidenced by the Burke deal, and now
comes the final step: rebuilding.

So let's look at the moves, one by one, and the obvious
and first inevitable one is trading Alexei Kovalev.

He's a difference maker for the playoffs, his contract is
up at the end of the year, and teams who have suffered
injuries will be more likely to inquire. Let's examine ...

The Sedins, who have been playing very well of late, are
in need of a complementary winger. Kovalev's skill level
could blend well, and would give Vancouver another top
line to balance the Naslund-Bertuzzi-Morrison line.

Finances could be an issue, as Burke bailed out on Weinrich
because of dollars. But Weinrich isn't on the same level as
Alexei, and if the return is right, Sather could eat part
of Alex's contract to make it work.

I've love to pry Bryan Allen, but that's unlikely. Other
options would be
- RJ Umberger, an unsigned, 2001 first round pick. He is a
centerman with size (6'2, 200 lbs).
- Kirill Koltsov, a top defensive prospect from Russia.

Yes, Philadelphia. If we can trade for Eric Lindros, then
the trade embargo exists only for Islanders and Devils.

With the serious injury to Roenick, and the concussion to
Primeau, the Cup contender could use another forward.
Clarke has never shown a hesitation to use picks or
prospects to bring in Cup pieces.

I'd love to pry Simon Gagne, but that's unlikely, so a
good focus would be their three prospects at center:
- Jeff Carter, the 1st rounder from 2003
- Mike Richards, another 1st rounder from 2003
- Patrick Sharp, a 3rd rounder from 2001

They were already after Bondra, so one could easily assume
Kovalev would catch their interest.

Sather has had his eye on Rachunek for awhile, but I doubt
Muckler would want to part with a roster player unless it's
a fringe forward.

Three prospects to keep an eye on would be:
- Antoine Vermette, an offensive centerman
- Igor Mirnoc, a small, speedy centerman
- Brooks Laich, a grinding, power-type

A veteran team that's going for the Cup, adding a dynamic
player like Kovalev would be a solid move.

If they had interest, three prospects to keep an eye on
would be:
- Igor Grogorenko, a scoring forward from Russia
- Jiri Hudler, a small offensively-gifted centerman
- Tomas Kopecky, a power forward prospect

I'd expect (and hope) that Sather trades Kovalev before
a possible injury. If Alex suffers an injury because Slats
is slow to pull the trigger ... well, let's not be pessimistic.

There is no way that Dolan will fire Sather right now;
nor is there a chance that Sather will resign and forfeit
his $5 million per year.

So the best hope is that Sather stocks up on prospects,
and that a new regime can come in and develop the team
once the new cba is completed.

Gabe,

As far as Detroit goes, we might be able to pry Knonwall and a pick for Nedved and Kovalev. We need D. They need a center. Hudler was good when he was called up from the Griffins as was the black kid whose name escapes me at the moment. I hate to say this but Grigorenko is damaged goods and I wouldn't deal for him until he proves himself for a few seasons of hard hitting in the big show.

Posted by: mhurley on February 15, 2004 09:14 AM

I think dealing both Nedved and Kovalev to Detroit would be a tough sell because their team is stocked well up front. Having too many scoring forwards can be a problem, as we well know.

Prediction is that Sather will try to pry away a top scoring prospect for Kovalev ... the "next" Kovalev, which is why I brought up Grigorenko. But Hudler would serve the same purpose for Slats ...

Posted by: Gabe on February 15, 2004 10:01 AM