This morning Elliotte Friedman did a radio spot on Sportsnet 960 and Ilya Kovalchuk was among the topics discussed.
Friedman didn't offer anything too groundbreaking but there were a few quotes I wanted to touch on (transcription via FanRagSports).
“Somebody told me that he thinks he’s going to get a big number, but I’m not 100 percent sure who the favorite is.“I heard he wanted to go to the Rangers, but I don’t think the Rangers are going to do it.
“I wonder about Montreal. Just a guess. But I wonder if Montreal is going to do this.…
It's certainly no surprise Kovalchuk will cost a good chunk of cash to get signed. He was spectacular in the KHL this past season tallying 78 points in 60 games and the numbers suggest he's probably still a 1st line player.
Scoring in the NHL is harder than ever and Kovalchuk has a proven record of doing so. He'll get his money -- he's not going to leave his home in Russia to come back and play for pennies.
Regarding the Rangers, I don't see how they could do a deal for Kovalchuk even if they wanted to. Forget about the fact the two sides simply don't trade with each other, the Rangers have a) no need for more scoring and; b) no room to add a player like Kovalchuk.
They have ~$9 million in cap space and Mika Zibanejad, Brendan Smith, Oscar Lindberg and Jesper Fast, among others, need new contracts. The Rangers need more money to take care of their own business so I don't see any scenario where they end up creating enough space to get Kovalchuk at $6+ million per season. The same can probably be said about Kevin Shattenkirk in free agency.
Lastly, I think Montreal would be a good match. They are desperate for more scoring and want to make a big splash. Acquiring Kovalchuk would definitely do that.
Carey Price is probably the best goalie in the league and the Habs still haven't come close to winning a Stanley Cup with him. As good as he is, he needs more goal support and Kovalchuk would provide that.
I don't know what the return would be -- maybe Nathan Beaulieu, who the Habs seems down on, would be involved in the deal -- but I think the Canadiens make as much sense as anyone.
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