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Rumor from Russian hockey writer: Kovy considering staying in KHL


JWomp

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I'm being an optimist this time, and am honestly not even slightly worried.

In my humble opinion, he is telling the Russian media exactly what they want to hear before he takes off in order to save face and maintain his reputation. He's a national hero now, like it or not, and to just leave for the NHL would probably sour his standing over there. Especially with the Olympics happening in Russia soon, the last thing he wants to do is leave the KHL in a negative way.

Just like he "considered" the KHL during his contract fiasco. They were never really in contention for him, imo, but to come out and say that would've pissed a lot of his Russian fan base off.

Summary: Chill. He'll be in camp. The tweets being put out by the Russian media are the same as they were during the offseason a couple years ago: meaningless (and it's kinda pissing me off that TG is retweeting every..single..one. He's just contributing to the hysteria)

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It's looking worse and worse, and I'm liking Kovy less and less if he is actually saying these things (and I'm sure Lou is thrilled, too haha), but I am still holding out hope that he is just saying these things to the Russian media to appease the media, his Russian fans, and his SKA teammates.

My theory/hope: Kovy knows he can't realistically stay and break his NHL deal, so he might as well make the Russian media/fans/team like him more by pretending he would stay if he could

Realistically, there is no way he can stay…the KHL has told the NHL it would honor the agreement, and Kovy wouldn't want to be banned from the Olympics by the IIHF. And while $30 million in the KHL this year might be nice, it's not like he doesn't have a ton of money waiting for him back in NJ.

So, I doubt he actually wants to stay or that he is actually considering it.

I think it's more of a message from Kovy to everyone who is putting pressure on him to stay. Kind of like him saying, "Hey, SKA teammates and fans…I would love nothing more than to stay and play in the playoffs with you guys and go for a championship. I wish there was a way to do it. We'll see" but knowing full well he will return to the NHL.

I'm being an optimist this time, and am honestly not even slightly worried.

In my humble opinion, he is telling the Russian media exactly what they want to hear before he takes off in order to save face and maintain his reputation. He's a national hero now, like it or not, and to just leave for the NHL would probably sour his standing over there. Especially with the Olympics happening in Russia soon, the last thing he wants to do is leave the KHL in a negative way.

Just like he "considered" the KHL during his contract fiasco. They were never really in contention for him, imo, but to come out and say that would've pissed a lot of his Russian fan base off.

Summary: Chill. He'll be in camp. The tweets being put out by the Russian media are the same as they were during the offseason a couple years ago: meaningless (and it's kinda pissing me off that TG is retweeting every..single..one. He's just contributing to the hysteria)

Exactly my thoughts! Although it's not like Malkin or Ovechkin soured their reputations by leaving...

Edited by JWomp
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Tri, you're going through hypotheticals and stuff that didnt happen. Naslund was pretty much finished when he left as I remember. And being traded to your brother's team is not the same as running 'home'.

Naslund led the Rangers in goals in 2008-09. But the narrative is that he's done because he was a Ranger.

And of course this will be forgotten about when Kovalchuk arrives here on Monday, has an interview Tuesday in which he expresses contrition for his views, says that he feels loyalty to this team, and never tried to break the contract to which he was signed. All of which I imagine will be true - the rest is just speculation, mistranslation, and misinterpretation.

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the real truth comes out. he just wants to finish the season with his team, which is understandable. he doesn't want to look like he was there just for the money and ice time and he wants to finish what he started. there is no way it's going to happen, but i can understand him wanting to say that. we would be pissed if it were us getting our star taken away half way.

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http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2013/01/10/kovalchuk-wants-to-finish-the-season-in-the-khl/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

i mean how can he possibly THINK of doing this to us? we traded for him... signed him to a crazy contract... got in sh!t for it and will still pay for it giving up a first round pick... and he still has like 12 season to go with us... and he's thinking of doing this to us?

i cant even believe he's even considering it.

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the real truth comes out. he just wants to finish the season with his team, which is understandable. he doesn't want to look like he was there just for the money and ice time and he wants to finish what he started. there is no way it's going to happen, but i can understand him wanting to say that. we would be pissed if it were us getting our star taken away half way.

IF he wants to take full advantage and continue to play in the KHL until the CBA is legally ratified, I'm ok with that. But he's not SKA's star player. He was basically on loan to them until the lockout ended. Everyone from the management to fans of that team knew that from the beginning. I just hope that Lou takes some form of action against him if he doesn't show up to camp on time (whether that is Sunday or within 48 hours of the NHLPA's ratification of the new CBA). He's not bigger than this team, and he needs to realize that he is no different than any of the other 22 guys in that dressing room.

I can understand why he's torn (presumably because he wants to finish what he's started there this season), but he signed that $100 million contract knowing full well that this is the way things work. Nobody forced him to take the Devils' money and he could have signed with SKA in 2010 and played the rest of his career there. He needs to show some of the leadership we saw out of him last season and report to camp on time.

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My two cents....Kovy is an emotional guy, he's involved in the community over there, not to mention he's there Captain. I'm sure they don't want him to go and he feels obligated to see what he started thru. I could be wrong but I just think he doesn't want to look like a guy who decided to play over there until the lockout was over than hop on the next flight to Jersey leaving all of them high and dry!

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http://prohockeytalk..._medium=twitter

i mean how can he possibly THINK of doing this to us? we traded for him... signed him to a crazy contract... got in sh!t for it and will still pay for it giving up a first round pick... and he still has like 12 season to go with us... and he's thinking of doing this to us?

i cant even believe he's even considering it.

because he's not. I mean, I give you credit, but you are reading quotes translated out of Russian into English, which is your second language. There's bound to be a ton of nuance lost in both translations.

But even if he were, the draft picks shouldn't matter at all to him - it's not up to a player to determine whether or not his contract is legal, it's up to the team that offers it.

Edited by Triumph
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BTW, this is the real reason why lockouts are bad, players explor other options and do what is best for them. In the end it's a free market and players will explore when given the option. I'm still 90% sure Kovy stil ends up back in the NHL this year but you can see long term the KHL is going to take any shot it can to be the top league.

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BTW, this is the real reason why lockouts are bad, players explor other options and do what is best for them. In the end it's a free market and players will explore when given the option. I'm still 90% sure Kovy stil ends up back in the NHL this year but you can see long term the KHL is going to take any shot it can to be the top league.

Part of me wishes Malkin, Ovechkin, Datsyuk, and Kovy ALL stayed there, because I think all future CBA's would go much smoother. Especially when Sidney's buddy is involved, as well as his (NHL regulated) rival.

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s hold of him and tells him what to doOy vey -- a guy who wants to be liked more I have never seen.

I think he thinks he's sincere. Mostly though he wants people to like him wherever he is. It's not dishonest - just weak-minded. I dont give a hott what he does - he'll be giving it his all wherever he plays and that's all that matters. He's s stupid hockey player - let him jaw until someone get

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the real truth comes out. he just wants to finish the season with his team, which is understandable. he doesn't want to look like he was there just for the money and ice time and he wants to finish what he started. there is no way it's going to happen, but i can understand him wanting to say that. we would be pissed if it were us getting our star taken away half way.

That can be spun both ways, it could be spun that he wants the full $11M from the Devils for his 3rd season and is willing to play chicken for it, all while getting paid the big Russian oil money + whatever whacky sh!t Medvedev, his brother and Putin come up with. Maybe when he goes home, there's gonna be another story on his house.

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That can be spun both ways, it could be spun that he wants the full $11M from the Devils for his 3rd season and is willing to play chicken for it, all while getting paid the big Russian oil money + whatever whacky sh!t Medvedev, his brother and Putin come up with. Maybe when he goes home, there's gonna be another story on his house.

That's all incredibly unlikely. The Devils would not toll his contract - what incentive would they ever have for doing so? Have you looked at his contract lately?

Edited by Triumph
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That's all incredibly unlikely. The Devils would not toll his contract - what incentive would they ever have for doing so? Have you looked at his contract lately?

That's why he would be playing chicken, and I'm sure he knows it's unlikely, which is why his comments today are far more waffle-ly as staying in Russia goes. Even then, if he did get his deal nuked, he would still get paid well in Russia, and it doesn't preclude him from coming back to NA, although it's hard to believe anyone would give him a long-term contract.

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Yeah... there's really no need to be posting that stuff.

Truth be told I was more looking to post a google maps image for humor but Alpine doesn't have public street addresses. As for that link, all NJ property tax records are public so i was sort of shocked when it came up. Regardless, even if soeone around here wanted to be creepy and drive around they would find no homes with gates and no mailboxes or home numbers to tell wtf they were looking at (used to drive me insane when I had to do catering deliveries there).

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