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Habs sign Ilya Kovalchuk


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On 1/26/2020 at 11:19 AM, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

 

I doubt that Kovalchuk sees it that way, though. Assuming no drop-off between now and season end, he will probably think, "there, I've proven I'm still an elite player. Any team signing me will be signing me as a top-6 player." He is not, in other words, going to assume that elite teams will have no role for him in the top-6. Rather, he will imagine himself playing with whichever guys those elite teams have in their top-6.

 

Nor is this totally unrealistic. Few teams have six PPG forwards. So any team signing him could well bump their current #5 or 6 guy down the lineup to make room for the guy we're seeing.

 

As for me, I believe he is as good as gone, either traded at the deadline or (less likely) lost as a UFA. The "charms of Montreal" will not override the desire to play on a winner and/or make one last big payday. Montreal might be able to keep him if we're willing the shell out, but, again, MB's track record does not inspire confidence in this respect.

 

My main blabbering was as a rebuttal to the "Kovalchuk was signed with an assurance to be traded at the deadline". I think he signed with the Habs because they had the ability to nearly guarantee a top 6 role due to injuries. The Habs were likely his best opportunity to showcase that he still has ability. It's all speculation anyway. For all I know he through a dart at a dart board to try and pick a new team. Whatever happens to him now that the Habs have signed him are in control of Bergevin (trade at deadline, potential contract offer), and then Kovalchuk (would he want to re-sign here).

 

My secondary blabbering was what I was thinking would be more beneficial to Kovalchuk, a trade this year, or staying through the end of the season. What's more indicative to a trading partner, his 81 games, 43 pts and -36 with the Kings, or 8 points in 8 games with the Habs? Something tells me that if he maintains a PPG average, odds are that the team is playing well and the odds of a trade actually diminish. 

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Where did this speculative nonsense that he signed here with a secret deal in place that he would be traded at the deadline even come from?

 

Jesus, the stuff this fish bowl comes up with sometimes is perplexing..

 

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What we know:

 

1. Kovalchuk was misused in LA and not given a chance to play in the role he was best suited for.

2. He wanted to go somewhere else to prove he deserved to play in that role.

3. He ultimately wants to play for a chance at a Cup.

 

Montreal (a hockey media hotspot) was a team with dire need of scoring during an injury crisis, and could meet most of the criteria he had through opportunity,  marketing, and an outside shot at a playoff run.

 

While it might be jumping the gun to say a trade agreement was already put in place when he signed the contract, it's not unreasonable to say Montreal was the best place to rehabilitate his career, but would most likely fall short of his ultimate goal.

 

It makes complete sense that he will want to be traded to a playoff bound team that will play him in the role he's best suited for. And it makes complete sense for Bergevin to trade him in a perfect "pump and dump" scenario.

 

Thank you.

 

*Jaded, conspiracy theorist Trizzak steps up to the mic*

 

This is a publicity stunt! Everyone is in on it! Kovalchuk is like jingling keys meant to distract us from the poor season! You all bought it! YOU ALL BOUGHT IT HOOK, LINE, AND SINKER! You all bought it! Even my family, even my immediate family bought it! Every damn one of you was made fools of!

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1 hour ago, Link67 said:

Where did this speculative nonsense that he signed here with a secret deal in place that he would be traded at the deadline even come from?

Jesus, the stuff this fish bowl comes up with sometimes is perplexing..

Why are you so worked up about it?

I think is far fetched also, but who cares and is debatable what will or should happen with the Russian.

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Just reread our posts from signing day. Happily mine was positive. Most weren't. Go read your thoughts on this signing and see how accurate you are. Do the same with all MBs moves. Evaluate your opinions. It can be very humbling. End of the day MB has done wonders. No, he can't get a big name UFA to sign due to PQ taxes. That is not his fault. 

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11 hours ago, johnnyhasbeen said:

Just reread our posts from signing day. Happily mine was positive. Most weren't. Go read your thoughts on this signing and see how accurate you are. Do the same with all MBs moves. Evaluate your opinions. It can be very humbling. End of the day MB has done wonders. No, he can't get a big name UFA to sign due to PQ taxes. That is not his fault. 

My only post was "Party like it's 2004!"  and it's pretty much how I feel ever since Kovalchuk started playing for us !!! :D

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On 1/3/2020 at 10:51 PM, IN THE HEARTS OF MEN said:

so now that everyones done there crying or celebrating...

 

This zero risk move is a no brainer! Its basically an olive branch to an old star player who is playing for pride and love of hockey. It could be genius if it works. Now less we forget that it failed with Semin and again with Briere and again with Streit etc etc. Sooner or later the odds say he's gonna catch lightning in a bottle with one of these swing for the fences signings. I think this is the one 🥴 and it just might work short term! 🥴🥴 Kovalchuk is no doubt a very proud hockey player. He knows his prospects for next year are essentially over if he shits the bed with Montreal right now. And we can all agree that he's not doing it for the money as he left a kings fortune with NJ to go home to play as an example. Then he leaves a team again he captained to multiple KHL championships to try his luck in Hollywood. Like most films these days, it failed over there! maybe he belonged in Mtl all along! 🧐

 Did I mention he has been a juggernaut for any and every team he wore red  white and blue for! Haha 🙃

 

In all seriousness Id like to see him play with Tatar and Danault. He has a couple weeks maximum before Gallagher is back to prove his worth. Let's see what he's got in him?

MB has called him out as well so let's buckle up. This is a brilliant desperation move. There is literally NO RISK to try and strike gold with a proven champion!

 

I bet he comes out a blaze!! 🤒

 

 

Anyone arguing this is crazy. We are 6 players deep into depth with minor leaguers scratched and injured as well! We followed up an 0-8 run were we blew 4x 3rd period leads with a 7-3 run.

Now we are back to 4 straight losses and more injuries. The Montreal Canadiens need a fair amount of luck right now.

 

 

ding ding ding 

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Kovalchuk says he is happy in Montreal but is non-committal for now. "I’m pretty sure we’ll have discussions with the GM and my agent will talk to them so we’ll see whats going to happen but like I said a lot of times I love everything here. We have a special group here so it will be fun to stay."

https://www.tsn.ca/ilya-kovalchuk-on-future-in-montreal-we-ll-see-1.1438678

 

 

 

 

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1 hour ago, tomh009 said:

Kovalchuk says he is happy in Montreal but is non-committal for now. "I’m pretty sure we’ll have discussions with the GM and my agent will talk to them so we’ll see whats going to happen but like I said a lot of times I love everything here. We have a special group here so it will be fun to stay."

https://www.tsn.ca/ilya-kovalchuk-on-future-in-montreal-we-ll-see-1.1438678

 

 

 

 

 

Ha ha, like I've been saying from the start, he is as good as gone

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1 hour ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

Ha ha, like I've been saying from the start, he is as good as gone

 

It could well be, yes. I would like to try to sign him, but if he's not interested, I'm sure we'll find someone willing to take him in exchange for for some draft picks.

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On 1/27/2020 at 4:39 PM, Trizzak said:

What we know:

 

1. Kovalchuk was misused in LA and not given a chance to play in the role he was best suited for.

2. He wanted to go somewhere else to prove he deserved to play in that role.

3. He ultimately wants to play for a chance at a Cup.

 

Montreal (a hockey media hotspot) was a team with dire need of scoring during an injury crisis, and could meet most of the criteria he had through opportunity,  marketing, and an outside shot at a playoff run.

 

While it might be jumping the gun to say a trade agreement was already put in place when he signed the contract, it's not unreasonable to say Montreal was the best place to rehabilitate his career, but would most likely fall short of his ultimate goal.

 

It makes complete sense that he will want to be traded to a playoff bound team that will play him in the role he's best suited for. And it makes complete sense for Bergevin to trade him in a perfect "pump and dump" scenario.

 

Thank you.

 

*Jaded, conspiracy theorist Trizzak steps up to the mic*

 

This is a publicity stunt! Everyone is in on it! Kovalchuk is like jingling keys meant to distract us from the poor season! You all bought it! YOU ALL BOUGHT IT HOOK, LINE, AND SINKER! You all bought it! Even my family, even my immediate family bought it! Every damn one of you was made fools of!

Jaded, conspiracy theorist Trizzak channels the negative hack, Brendon Kelly in way that is more entertaining than the original 

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Habs in December: 7-7 (0.500)

Habs with Kovalchuk in the lineup: 9-6 (0.600)

Habs with Kovalchuk and Armia in the lineup: 7-2 (0.777)

Habs with Kovalchuk, Armia and Gallagher in the lineup: 5-1 (0.833)

 

There is no question that Kovalchuk has made an impact. But without Armia (six points in nine games) and Gallagher (four points in six games) back in the lineup, we would not be even dreaming of playoffs.

 

Forwards' TOI last night:

Armia 21:56

Danault 21:50

Kovalchuk 21:22

Suzuki 20:33

Tatar 19:21

Gallagher 18:19

 

Domi and Drouin got relatively little ice time once Lehkonen was injured.

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Kovalchuk 2 shootout goals and 2 OT goals with Habs, quite something.

 

Would he be productive if given a 2 year deal? Will Bergevin offer him one?

 

Bergevin must be really on the fence, given the wins the Habs are piling up recently.

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1 hour ago, DON said:

Kovalchuk 2 shootout goals and 2 OT goals with Habs, quite something.

 

Would he be productive if given a 2 year deal? Will Bergevin offer him one?

 

Bergevin must be really on the fence, given the wins the Habs are piling up recently.

 

One question is whether signing Kovalchuk impedes the development of any prospects/young players. To my knowledge, the only semi-young impact LW in the system is Drouin. So there is no organizational reason not to invest in Kovy II for two years, other than cap concerns.

 

Another way to frame it is: Kovy II or Tatar? If we lose both, then our LW becomes Drouin, Byron, Lehkonen, and X. No impact prospect in the pipeline. That is shite - indeed absolutely awful for a team which is supposedly "re-tooling" to become a contender in the medoum term. So I would argue that the Habs should actively be planning seeking to re-sign Tatar to a 4-5 year deal or Kovy II to a 2-year deal. We cannot afford to let both walk.That said, I will not be surprised at all if we do.

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29 minutes ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

Another way to frame it is: Kovy II or Tatar? If we lose both, then our LW becomes Drouin, Byron, Lehkonen, and X. No impact prospect in the pipeline. That is shite - indeed absolutely awful for a team which is supposedly "re-tooling" to become a contender in the medoum term. So I would argue that the Habs should actively be planning seeking to re-sign Tatar to a 4-5 year deal or Kovy II to a 2-year deal. We cannot afford to let both walk.That said, I will not be surprised at all if we do.

 

The glass-half-full view of this same thing is that if Bergevin can sign Kovalchuk (before the deadline) he can then afford to trade Tatar, who will be worth substantially more at deadline.

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40 minutes ago, Commandant said:

Um caufield

 

And to a lesser extent ylonen and fonstad.

 

Oops! Forgot about Caulfield. Carry on :)

 

But actually, taking Caulfield into account increases the desirability of signing Kovy2 over Tatar. The latter will probably want a longer-term deal (4-5 years). What we need is a guy like Kovy2 on a 2-year deal to give Caulfield time to develop. One could argue that Byron could be that transitional piece, but as you may recall, I have always been skeptical about the likelihood of Byron being a legit top-6 guy into his 30s. And even if he is, Kovy2 is a massive upgrade in any case.

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4 hours ago, PMAC said:

Jaded, conspiracy theorist Trizzak channels the negative hack, Brendon Kelly in way that is more entertaining than the original 

I'm really disappointed that nobody mentioned the Vince McMahon reference. Not a single one of you dropped J.R's iconic "Aw sonova bitch" in the replies. 

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22 hours ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

 

Oops! Forgot about Caulfield. Carry on :)

 

But actually, taking Caulfield into account increases the desirability of signing Kovy2 over Tatar. The latter will probably want a longer-term deal (4-5 years). What we need is a guy like Kovy2 on a 2-year deal to give Caulfield time to develop. One could argue that Byron could be that transitional piece, but as you may recall, I have always been skeptical about the likelihood of Byron being a legit top-6 guy into his 30s. And even if he is, Kovy2 is a massive upgrade in any case.

 

Agreed.  Byron is oft-injured and past his peak...he is in no way a top 6 forward...it's time to dump him.  Kovalchuk for a year or two, and keep Tatar if possible (the guy produces consistently, if he'll take reasonable money/term I'd like to hold onto him).  Caufield might be great..he might be a bust.  I'd rather deal with an abundance of scoring if he pans out than risk being short on firepower if he's a bust.

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If we do sign Kovalchuk, just hoping that his game/production of right now isn't just him riding on an honeymoon with his new team.


Didn't check the game by game stats, but a friend of mine brought up that it was quite the same when he was just starting to play with Los Angeles, near a PPG...

 

But I do like him a lot right now.

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5 points in his first 10 games with the Kings.

9 points in the next 10.

3 points in the 10 after that (by this time he was averaging only maybe 13-14 minutes per game).

 

He's at 12 points in 15 games with the Habs right now.

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3 hours ago, JoeLassister said:

If we do sign Kovalchuk, just hoping that his game/production of right now isn't just him riding on an honeymoon with his new team.


Didn't check the game by game stats, but a friend of mine brought up that it was quite the same when he was just starting to play with Los Angeles, near a PPG...

 

But I do like him a lot right now.

 

That's part of the hesitance I have as well.  I also think he's benefiting from basically being off for nearly two months; a veteran like him can certainly benefit from that rest.  I'm not saying I'm against an extension (though I don't want to go anywhere near some of the numbers that are being suggested) but I'm still skeptical that he can play at this level over a full 82-game season next year.

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