I wasn’t going to touch this subject as I really don’t believe a word of it. The Leafs don’t have any interest in Kovalchuk, I mean why shoiuld they? Plus, the Toronto Maple Leafs management have things sealed up so tight in Toronto that we haven’t seen or heard a legitimate rumour in this town since Brendan Shanahan was hired.
I saw these conflicting reports from the two “kings” of Hockey rumours and thought I would post it for shits and giggles. So enjoy!
Dreger: Maple Leafs likely have no interest in Kovalchuk (TSN1050)
I don’t believe the Maple Leafs are interested. I saw the reports, and I did my work in digging through my Maple Leafs sources, and I’m told it’s BS. I guess I’ll leave it at that from a Toronto Maple Leafs perspective.
I think Ilya Kovalchuk is interested in returning to the NHL. Part of me also wonders if he’s just not trying to ratchet up some sort of leverage to stay in the KHL. But I believe, given the right situation and the right contract, he’d come back to the National Hockey League.
What’s that contract going to be? He’s not a young man anymore by NHL standards, so you’re investing — whatever the term is — it is going to be costly and potentially dangerous. You have to be certain that he is going to be a big offensive weapon.
I think the consensus is — at least from what I gathered when I was in Europe; he wasn’t on Team Russia, but I asked around the team — that he can still get it done. Again, the question is: If he’s not scoring 25 or more, is it going to be worth it? I think there would be some apprehension from NHL General Managers.
McKenzie: Nashville is the best Stanley Cup experience I’ve ever had (TSN1260)
I think we’re mostly still in the speculation phase. There is a lot of teams interested. He’s going to pick and choose where he wants to go. There are going to be a lot of teams mentioned; I’m not sure how many are serious.
He’d be looking for a big number — a significant number, I think. If I had to guess — and it’s just a guess on my part; it’s not based on any inside information from any of the teams or Kovalchuk and his agent — he’s going to be looking for two or three years. My guess is he’s going to be looking for between $6-7 million and maybe closer to $7 million a year. There is not a lot of teams that can afford that.