Jump to content

The Enigma!


How will Kovalev do this season?  

29 members have voted

  1. 1. Play Svengali to the Enigma!!!

    • He'll be the star we always wanted: 85+ points
      4
    • He'll return to his 05-06 form: 70-85 points barring injury
      20
    • He'll do about like last season...oy vey
      5
    • He'll spend most of the year injured
      0
    • He'll ride the pine: Samsonov II
      0
    • Who cares? He'll be gone by trade deadline day
      0


Recommended Posts

I just think that Kovy may finally see that he is getting older but can still rack up the points by playing smartly and with great skill with some of the young guns on this squad.

Of course this is wishful thinking but I would rather be optimistic and hope he gets that he can really have a positive impact on the future of this team by teaming up with some hard working younglings.

I voted back to 05/06 form.

Here's hoping...

Edited by The Saint
Link to comment
Share on other sites

All I know is I hope the team around him grows to be less reliant on his contributions. That was a huge reason we failed last year... if we can win enough games without him being a factor, we'll be in good shape. Then, if he does turn it on and be the player he was in 05/06, we're all of a sudden a strong team, not just a playoff bubble squad.

That being said, he was in mid-season form last night. The trouble is when it's mid-season sometimes he's still in pre-season form.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I voted 70-85 points because it was closer than "same as last season." By the way, guys, Kovalev looked like he was hardly trying last night - it's not that he was motivated last night, he was playing the same way he always plays. All you need is to have players with him that understand the way he plays - thing is, those guys are few and far between. I could actually see him having some chemistry with Chipchura since he's such a smart player and the two complement eachother really well. Latendresse-Chipchura-Kovalev? Sounds good to me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kovalv was a star last night and I think the mis treatment of Perezhogin really effected him last year.

Now he has another youngster from a smilar back ground (Kostitsyn) I think that was spurr Kovalev to retun to his old form, playing a bit more with Saku wont hurt either.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kovalev isn't much of an enigma when he's got the right guys with him. Him and Kostitsyn played good. Kostitsyn hustle and flow on many plays benefited Kovalev, adding the remaining components to complement Kovalev should help him regain his scoring touch.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I could easily see Kovalev netting 60+ pts, but i doubt he breaks 75.... with a -10 or so. He definitely has the skills, but he will continue to slow down and lose endurance. If the plekanec line is able to draw top defensive lines, Kovalev could have a really good year.

I think Kovalev is the kind of guy that needs to be "into" the season in order to be productive. If the team rolls early with him being productive, I could see him playing full out more often and be an important element of the 2007-08 habs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kovy has a lot to prove this season, and being that he's a proud player, I believe he'll succeed. Hard to think anyone on the team will hit over 80 points though.

My guess is he'll keep pace with Koivu, somewhere in the 65-80 range.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think the main misconception with Kovalev is that people mistake his calm demeanour as being lazy. I see his attitude as Price-calm as opposed to Dagenais-calm. Besides, I know when I play sports I play a lot better when I'm calm - even when something happens that would "fire me up" I play a lot better when I just get rid of all emotion than I would if I play with a chip on my shoulder. It seems like Kovalev doesn't like to wear his emotions on his sleeve either, on or off the ice. He has a lot of pride, a lot of confidence and really wants to win but he's usually at his best when he's cool, calm and collected and not trying to force things. Come to think of it, the last time I saw him show a lot of emotion in one play was when he scored his 300th career goal - he leapt over a Sen and pumped both fists while he yelled. Though his performance through that entire game was as memorable as they come, I think.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree that Kovy's pride makes it likely that he will make at least some effort to returning to effective play. He has to realize that if he has another season like the last one, the last remnants of whatever aura he possesses will be gone. The question is whether his body is still up to cashing the cheques his mind wants to write. Still unanswered IMHO.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

BTH, I think people think he is lazy because when he gets the puck taken away from him he complains to the ref. stands around or doesn't hustle back to the play.

Not his calm attitude or smooth skating style.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...