10 Reasons To Keep Kovy

[Jerrydevil]

Lou wants Kovalchuk here and I believe he signs here to a 4-year deal. Changes are being finally made and one of them will be the signing and spending the money on Kovalchuk.

You taking action on that bet? I want in. If Lou is chloroforming Chuk's agent, he might sign a 4-year deal.

[jim777]

I love the guy, but we'll live without him. I'm more interested in who gets the spot behind the bench. But I wish him the best, he gave it his all while he was here. I want to see some young guys come up Lowell next season.

Edited May 4, 2010 by jim777

[MantaRay]

10. He is a superstar goal scorer - With Atlanta, he didn't do much for us. Bergfors had just as many goals for Atlanta (8 vs 10).

9. Presence - His presence turned the Devils into the NJ Thrashers. The game plan went for team effort to "get Kovy the puck and stand around and watch".

8. He has a great attitude. - AGREED

7. Flashes of Brilliance - for the regular season. The playoffs he was exploited by Philly.

6. Why get a center? - Because we need one badly.

5. He's exciting - Buy NHL Center ice next year.

4. Want a better powerplay? - He single handedly killed our PP. We altered our game plan around him to the detriment of the rest of the Team.

3. Desire To Win -different than will to win.

2. Kovy the Good Guy - Not relevant.

1. Kovy owes NJ a Cup and NJ owes Kovy a Cup - The Cup needs to be earned. Kovy is not the type of player that wins championships. Defense and goaltending win championships.

[Scott Stevens #4]

I love the guy, but we'll live without him. I'm more interested in who gets the spot behind the bench. But I wish him the best, he gave it his all while he was here. I want to see some young guys come up Lowell next season.

And yet again sink in another playoff series if we lose him and dont add a scorer or 2 to help our roster.This is not the 90's we cant rely on the 30k or 50k players like the 90's to lead us to another cup,the league has changed this is a much faster,younger,and score worthy league.

[Jerrydevil]

5. He's exciting - Buy NHL Center ice next year.

This cracked me up.

Never miss a minute of Chuk's brilliance with NHL Center Ice!

[Jerrydevil]

And yet again sink in another playoff series if we lose him and dont add a scorer or 2 to help our roster.This is not the 90's we cant rely on the 30k or 50k players like the 90's to lead us to another cup,the league has changed this is a much faster,younger,and score worthy league.

I'm sorry, but this is not why we can't win a round in the playoffs. Boston is still playing, by the way. Their offense isn't all that great. They sure compete a whole lot better than we did, though.

Edited May 4, 2010 by Jerrydevil

[overtime98]

10. He is a superstar goal scorer - With Atlanta, he didn't do much for us. Bergfors had just as many goals for Atlanta (8 vs 10).

9. Presence - His presence turned the Devils into the NJ Thrashers. The game plan went for team effort to "get Kovy the puck and stand around and watch".

8. He has a great attitude. - AGREED

7. Flashes of Brilliance - for the regular season. The playoffs he was exploited by Philly.

6. Why get a center? - Because we need one badly.

5. He's exciting - Buy NHL Center ice next year.

4. Want a better powerplay? - He single handedly killed our PP. We altered our game plan around him to the detriment of the rest of the Team.

3. Desire To Win -different than will to win.

2. Kovy the Good Guy - Not relevant.

1. Kovy owes NJ a Cup and NJ owes Kovy a Cup - The Cup needs to be earned. Kovy is not the type of player that wins championships. Defense and goaltending win championships.

well said.

[overtime98]

I'm sorry, but this is not why we can't win a round in the playoffs. Boston is still playing, by the way. Their offense isn't all that great. They sure compete a whole lot better than we did, though.

yea exactly. and to think many Devils fans wanted to play Boston or Montreal. Their defense wouldve killed us. look at the way they are beating Philly. and the way philly beat us.... we should be glad we faced philly at least the series was close.

[cubanjd305]

First off, you padded this list...#8, #3, and #2 really could have been grouped into one reason. Basically you're saying he's a swell guy who wants to win and be a good teammate. He did do a nice job saying all of the right things and coming across well upon coming here, but he also knows that he's up for a big payday, so it's in his best interests to present himself well. He also knows that he hasn't always had the best reputation, that at times he's been seen as a bit unmotivated (I can recall Devil games against Atlanta when, as a Thrasher, he couldn't have looked less interested), so some of all this swell-guy stuff could be seen as a little damage control.

It's like the 10 commandments...

#9 Yeah, his presence really made a difference in Atlanta all of those years. Big goal totals aside, ever think that he might have been as much of the problem there as he was a solution? Did he really make much of a difference here? I didn't see anyone looking terribly excited during that five-game washout against the Flyers.

Well, if you take the goals away from any goal scorer, their contributions are minimal, don't you think?

#7 For every flash of brilliance, I saw many more flashes of stupidity, bad decisions, and "let me try to beat three or more guys" on a Kovalevian level.

That was true when he recently got to NJ. Towards the end, during the playoffs, those looked more like flashes of desperation since no one else tried to do sh!t to win.

#4 Maybe with time he could help here, but for the money he's asking for I'm not interested in signing a maybe. I didn't see anything during his time here to think that he's automatically going to help.

...because we have so many 80+ points guys right? Coming to a completely different system with the Devils, he still managed to put up a point per game. Add to that the constant line juggling, and you can't ask for more from him really.

#1 If anyone owes anyone anything, I'd say Kovy owes the Devils...they stepped up and made the big move for him, they gave him the chance to showcase his stuff and show the hockey world that he can shine on the big stage in big games, and he pretty much fell flat on his face...respectable numbers aside, he didn't really impact the team nor the games, and was barely a factor in the playoffs (2 goals...one ENG, a 5-on-3 PPG, and way too many unburied opportunities...against Brian Boucher of all goalies!).

Edited May 4, 2010 by cubanjd305

[oconnellrules]

I knew we should of signed manny malhotra!!!!!!

if we can somehow dump rolston and free up some cap, then we had better sign kovalchuk, otherwise it seems impossible. a lot of people are sour on paul martin right now but guys like him are high in demand right now so he is a must sign. david clarkson showed a ton of improvement with smarts, skating ability, and puck handling so he is a must sign.

should get interesting this summer

[Neb00rs]

none of this stuff matters to the people responsible in signing Kovalchuk.

Dont you think fans and other NHL teams have a similar list for signing Kovalchuk? Dont you think there is a competitive team in the NHL that could become true contenders for a stanley cup next year by signing kovalchuk? Kovalchuk has a chance to win a cup in other places than NJ. Plenty of other teams in the NHL close to winning the cup than NJ is....

Just being realistic here.

Does it matter to those who have the responsibility to sign him? Yes, absolutely it does. But it doesn't even matter, the point of the post is for the fans to support a Kovy signing and that is important too.

Can you fault us for wanting the Devils to be like how we were pre-lockout? Let's start comparing our playoff success before and after the lockout....

However, while I like Kovy and do hope he re-signs, I think that if he walks and with the money that would have been spent on him going to a good d-man and solid center, then I think I will be just as, maybe more happy with that.

I share your desire for the Devils to have the success they had pre-lockout and don't fault you for it. We CANNOT however, have a team in the same design. We need a scorer. Then again on the 2000 team we had a big center (Arnott), a goal-scorer (Sykora) and another top goal-scorer (Mogilny) and a top playmaker (Gomez).

How's this stat for you:

Avg. Goals For of all post-lockout Stanley Cup Winners: 268.25

Avg. Goals For of all Devils teams post-lockout: 227

In 2002-2003 the Devils scored 216 goals and won the Cup. That's 52 goals short of the post-lockout Cup champion avg.

In 1999-2000 the Devils with a good offense scored 251 goals and won the Cup. Yet, still short of the post-lockout Cup champ avg.

THE GAME HAS CHANGED.

Edited May 4, 2010 by ben00rs

[MantaRay]

I knew we should of signed manny malhotra!!!!!!

Maybe if we signed Malholtra we would not have needed "Chuck" and would still be in the playoffs.....LIKE San Jose.

I don't see this as being an exciting Summer:

1. Sign Martin

2. Find Coach

3. Draft

4. Get ready for season.

Not very exciting.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

It's like the 10 commandments...

Well, if you take the goals away from any goal scorer, their contributions are minimal, don't you think?

There are guys who can score goals AND can play a hell of lot smarter than Kovalchuk does. Parise's a goal-scorer who's constantly trying to make things happen, by intelligence and simple work ethic.

That was true when he recently got to NJ. Towards the end, during the playoffs, those looked more like flashes of desperation since no one else tried to do sh!t to win.

Don't agree that no else tried. I think Brodeur gave it his best shot. Zubrus looked like he was trying...as did Parise. The list does get thin after that.

...because we have so many 80+ points guys right? Coming to a completely different system with the Devils, he still managed to put up a point per game. Add to that the constant line juggling, and you can't ask for more from him really.

#1 If anyone owes anyone anything, I'd say Kovy owes the Devils...they stepped up and made the big move for him, they gave him the chance to showcase his stuff and show the hockey world that he can shine on the big stage in big games, and he pretty much fell flat on his face...respectable numbers aside, he didn't really impact the team nor the games, and was barely a factor in the playoffs (2 goals...one ENG, a 5-on-3 PPG, and way too many unburied opportunities...against Brian Boucher of all goalies!).

Again, taking the numbers away from an offensive player makes no sense.

Was more of a factor than anyone else on the team. If you don't want him to go 1-on-3, then I'm sure you believe he should help and be helped right? Well who showed up for the Devils in the playoffs? Who was there to help him do more?

By your logic I guess we should get rid of Elias too, I didn't see $6M play from him all year long.

I don't make THAT much out of point totals. Obviously having offensive players is terrific, but I'm not one to blindly look at Kovalchuk's numbers and say, "Well, he averaged about a point per game, so he must have been good." Based on what I saw, I don't think he was. His team didn't get better, and wasn't that the point of bringing him here? Did you really think he was impressive in his time here, regardless of what his point totals were? Sorry, I didn't, and I don't think he's worth signing long-term for huge dollars, especially since his motivation has come into question in the past. Some fans want him to come back based on what they THINK might happen...that with a different coach he'll automatically shine and start fine-tuning the weaknesses in his game, that he'll suddenly start clicking on the power play, etc. Sorry, I can't risk signing a guy who's a bit of a project to what he's going to be looking for based on hypotheticals.

[Pepperkorn]

You can list off as many reasons as you want -- but if keeping Chuk loses the prospect of retaining Parise due to $$/yrs

or if his signing hamstrings the team in ANY OTHER WAY - it's not worth it.

Chuk is wonderful - but no organization can build a team around him alone.

[Neb00rs]

Someone came up with stuff like this earlier and I replied. But anyways, here goes again.

10. He is a superstar goal scorer - With Atlanta, he didn't do much for us. Bergfors had just as many goals for Atlanta (8 vs 10).

That's true. But Bergfors was featured on line 1 in Atlanta and didn't have to play defense anymore. Needless to say ATL failed to make the playoffs.

9. Presence - His presence turned the Devils into the NJ Thrashers. The game plan went for team effort to "get Kovy the puck and stand around and watch".

As I said earlier, this is true. The next coach needs to let him know that no Thrasher garbage will be allowed in NJ.

7. Flashes of Brilliance - for the regular season. The playoffs he was exploited by Philly.

Everybody on the Devils was exploited by Philly

6. Why get a center? - Because we need one badly.

As I said earlier we WILL get a center no matter what. I was just saying Kovy would make this center more valuable.

5. He's exciting - Buy NHL Center ice next year.

There's nothing wrong with wanting an exciting player on the Devils. I don't meaan that it's necessary for him to be exiting. It was an innocent reason.

4. Want a better powerplay? - He single handedly killed our PP. We altered our game plan around him to the detriment of the rest of the Team.

As I said earlier: This is spin. Lemaire is a fault here, he was inept at the PP. you're not going to find a better foward for the PP than Kovy.

3. Desire To Win -different than will to win.

Kovy absolutely has the will to win. Of course only Kovy can prove this.

2. Kovy the Good Guy - Not relevant.

Why is it irrelevant? Because you say so? I think if you ask those in the organization they would say this is very important. (Especially the players.)

1. Kovy owes NJ a Cup and NJ owes Kovy a Cup - The Cup needs to be earned. Kovy is not the type of player that wins championships. Defense and goaltending win championships.

Once again reason #1 was a fun line. Not serious just a good way to put out the idea that we all need to come together for a Cup. But you came right along all serious like, "The Cup needs to be earned." And what a ridiculous statement saying that Kovy is not the type of player that wins Cups. And why is that? Yes top-goaltending and great defense are the most important because they are the rarest. But you need a goal-scoring team in today's game. As I posted earlier:

Avg. Goals For of all post-lockout Stanley Cup Winners: 268.25

Avg. Goals For of all Devils teams post-lockout: 227

Again, you basically said all the same things as an earlier poster. And just like him you are only willing to give Kovy half a season to turn this team around. He has only not been a Thrasher for a coupple of months. With the right time and coaching he could lead us to a Cup.

[MantaRay]

Someone came up with stuff like this earlier and I replied. But anyways, here goes again.

Again, you basically said all the same things as an earlier poster. And just like him you are only willing to give Kovy half a season to turn this team around. He has only not been a Thrasher for a coupple of months. With the right time and coaching he could lead us to a Cup.

Because the earlier poster was correct. It doesn't take more and a few weeks to see if the styles will mesh and they don't.

Thinking that a new coach is going to change him is very romantic, it isn't going to happen.

[Triumph]

there's not going to be a bigger bargain in free agency for over 2 million dollars/season than ilya kovalchuk. that's simply a lock. the anti-kovalchuk people are dug in so hard that reason will not sway them, but a bigger bargain will never, ever, ever come along for the new jersey devils.

Edited May 4, 2010 by Triumph

[cubanjd305]

There are guys who can score goals AND can play a hell of lot smarter than Kovalchuk does. Parise's a goal-scorer who's constantly trying to make things happen, by intelligence and simple work ethic.

You can't honestly say he did not improve since coming from ATL.

Don't agree that no else tried. I think Brodeur gave it his best shot. Zubrus looked like he was trying...as did Parise. The list does get thin after that.

The list doesn't go thin...it ceases right there. I said it during the playoffs that I felt sorry for Parise and Zubrus who were the only ones seemingly trying, but you have to look at what Kovalchuk was able to do without much help.

I don't make THAT much out of point totals. Obviously having offensive players is terrific, but I'm not one to blindly look at Kovalchuk's numbers and say, "Well, he averaged about a point per game, so he must have been good." Based on what I saw, I don't think he was. His team didn't get better, and wasn't that the point of bringing him here? Did you really think he was impressive in his time here, regardless of what his point totals were? Sorry, I didn't, and I don't think he's worth signing long-term for huge dollars, especially since his motivation has come into question in the past. Some fans want him to come back based on what they THINK might happen...that with a different coach he'll automatically shine and start fine-tuning the weaknesses in his game, that he'll suddenly start clicking on the power play, etc. Sorry, I can't risk signing a guy who's a bit of a project to what he's going to be looking for based on hypotheticals.

While you can't draw a definite conclusion from any stat sheet, points do indicate contribution to an extent. Again, his time here was a very short one, too short to adjust to a completely different scheme and philosophy. He's not mentally disabled, he can and will entirely adjust his game to help the team if that's what's needed of him.

I'm not basing my opinion on what I think might happen but on what I saw he can do and the simple fact that he's a top goal scorer in this league.

Besides, we're arguing and we haven't put a number down ....you may think I think he deserves $10M (which I don't)

[DaneykoIsGod]

there's not going to be a bigger bargain in free agency for over 2 million dollars/season than ilya kovalchuk. that's simply a lock. the anti-kovalchuk people are dug in so hard that reason will not sway them, but a bigger bargain will never, ever, ever come along for the new jersey devils.

Maybe I'm not reading this correctly ... are you saying that out of any player making more than $2M/season, Kovalchuk is guaranteed to be the best bargain? When I first read it, I thought you were saying that the Devils could get him for $2M/season but that can't possibly be what you meant.

[Neb00rs]

there's not going to be a bigger bargain in free agency for over 2 million dollars/season than ilya kovalchuk. that's simply a lock. the anti-kovalchuk people are dug in so hard that reason will not sway them, but a bigger bargain will never, ever, ever come along for the new jersey devils.

Right. Listen Kovy isn't the best player in the league. But he's the best goal-scorer we can get. Now it just depends on if you want a premiere scorer or not.

[Triumph]

Maybe I'm not reading this correctly ... are you saying that out of any player making more than $2M/season, Kovalchuk is guaranteed to be the best bargain? When I first read it, I thought you were saying that the Devils could get him for $2M/season but that can't possibly be what you meant.

i should have put the 2 million part in parentheses, so yes, apologies for the confusion, i was just trying to be comprehensive. free agent bargains across sports almost always come at the high or low end and most of the worst mistakes happen in the middle.

there's no question that kovalchuk is worth an $8 million dollar a season contract. he's one of the very few players in the league who shoots above-average at even strength, and that it's not due to team effects or any nonsense like that - kovalchuk is the real deal. just because in 32 games he shot well below his career average in shooting percentage people are saying 'oh he doesn't fit here he's terrible'. his PP shooting percentage is hilarious - 4.3% - or in other words 1 percentage point below what bryce salvador shoots for his career at even strength. there is just absolutely no way that's sustainable. shooting percentages go UP on the power play. kovalchuk's won't - he's shooting from the perimeter, so his shooting percentage is more likely to be lower - but 4.3%? no chance.

Edited May 4, 2010 by Triumph

[DaneykoIsGod]

i should have put the 2 million part in parentheses, so yes, apologies for the confusion, i was just trying to be comprehensive. free agent bargains across sports almost always come at the high or low end and most of the worst mistakes happen in the middle.

there's no question that kovalchuk is worth an $8 million dollar a season contract. he's one of the very few players in the league who shoots above-average at even strength, and that it's not due to team effects or any nonsense like that - kovalchuk is the real deal. just because in 32 games he shot well below his career average in shooting percentage people are saying 'oh he doesn't fit here he's terrible'. his PP shooting percentage is hilarious - 4.3% - or in other words 1 percentage point below what bryce salvador shoots for his career at even strength. there is just absolutely no way that's sustainable. shooting percentages go UP on the power play. kovalchuk's won't - he's shooting from the perimeter, so his shooting percentage is more likely to be lower - but 4.3%? no chance.

Ah, OK. That's what I thought. Thanks for clearing that up.

As far as keeping Kovalchuk goes, I'm all for it as long as it doesn't financially cripple us when it comes to inking Martin and Parise. Making Rolston disappear seems to be paramount to that.

[SatansDevils]

Without Kovy in the playoffs vs. the Flyers the Devils would have done a lot worse. Kovy led the team in points in the playoffs as well as being involved in 6 of the 9 goals scored by the Devils. Imagine how bad it would have really been without Kovy.

Devils vs. the Flyers was just a bad match up. It was shown from the regular season. Devils did very well against Boston, Montreal and Ottawa and they would have been in better shape if they played any one of those three teams in the first round. It is all about how the Devils fare against opposing teams and they did not fare well with the Flyers all season long. Devils would have done better against the three other teams becuase they matched up better with those teams. Can't really say or tell because its already over unfortunately.

I still believe and say Lou will sign Kovalchuk. It is on the top of his list to do besides getting a new coach.

[MantaRay]

there's no question that kovalchuk is worth an $8 million dollar a season contract.

Aside from Sidney Crosby there is NO PLAYER in the league worth $8 million a year in a salary cap era.

Sid makes players around him better, "Chuck" does not.

[MantaRay]

Without Kovy in the playoffs vs. the Flyers the Devils would have done a lot worse. Kovy led the team in points in the playoffs as well as being involved in 6 of the 9 goals scored by the Devils. Imagine how bad it would have really been without Kovy.

That is just plain laughable. The Devils probably would have swept Philly without "Chuck", but we will never know.