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Kovalchuk


Mitico12

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I get the feeling that if Kovy put up 93 goals in a season, some here would complain about his lack of assists or shooting %.

He is an electrifying offensive talent. His addition to the team is part of the transition of the Devils of old to the new NHL. Sure you can say there were better different options out there but that is armchair second guessing. Anyone, who thinks they know that Kovy does or doesn't care is simply making $hit up unless you know him personally.

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Kovy averaged around 23 minutes in Atlanta, so 30+ is a lot even for him. Parise should play as much as he is physically able to do, sustainably, over a season. And I'm sure he will. As pointed out above he has a more "high energy" game then IK, so I don't think it's possible for him to play quite as much without his game suffering.

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Kovy averaged around 23 minutes in Atlanta, so 30+ is a lot even for him. Parise should play as much as he is physically able to do, sustainably, over a season. And I'm sure he will. As pointed out above he has a more "high energy" game then IK, so I don't think it's possible for him to play quite as much without his game suffering.

I think a lot of this has to do with Cam being in the lineup for both games. For whatever reason DeBoer has pretty much benched Cam from the 2nd period on in the previous two games, with Kovy taking most of his shifts afterwards. I suspect with some lineup changes Kovy will be back to 25-27

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I think a lot of this has to do with Cam being in the lineup for both games. For whatever reason DeBoer has pretty much benched Cam from the 2nd period on in the previous two games, with Kovy taking most of his shifts afterwards. I suspect with some lineup changes Kovy will be back to 25-27

I'm wondering why they don't call Sharky back up. If DeBoer doesn't want to play Cam (and I can see why, even though I like him), he shouldn't be in the line up. Zharkov can play for 3 periods without being a liability, and that allows Kovy to take some shifts off. The dude's a horse, but nobody can play this many minutes for a whole season at forward.

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I get the feeling that if Kovy put up 93 goals in a season, some here would complain about his lack of assists or shooting %.

He is an electrifying offensive talent. His addition to the team is part of the transition of the Devils of old to the new NHL. Sure you can say there were better different options out there but that is armchair second guessing. Anyone, who thinks they know that Kovy does or doesn't care is simply making $hit up unless you know him personally.

Well you don't want Kovalchuk to get burnt out by the end of the game either. >30 minutes is a lot, even for his style of play.

I wonder if Kovy's TOI will replace Marty's GP as the official debate stat of the Devils fanbase.

Agree with all points.

Kovy was brought in to score goals and win games. If he plays 30 minutes a game he better perform, thats all im saying,

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http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/7122541/nhl-jaromir-jagr-last-nhl-player-seek-khl-money

In the summer of 2010, the league reportedly offered Kovalchuk $20 million per year to play. "It was an option," says Kovalchuk, who rejected the offer in favor of a 15-year, $100 million deal to stay in New Jersey.

So I guess it's confirmed that money is not his only motivation. :P

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So I guess it's confirmed that money is not his only motivation. :P

Kovy has an agent that knows how to play the $$$ game. The KHL rumor was also placed by Kovy's agent in an effort to drum up NHL demand for his client, which unfortunately never came.

When there were no teams interested in Kovy, he had to settle on the Devils (although using the Devils offer and going back to try and to get LA to offer more was pretty bogus). We are stuck with him for at least the next two or three years. Until he goes the Rolston route.

Edited by MantaRay
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well great, this should shut a few people

Uhhh, poor example my friends. The KHL was NEVER realistically an option. It was just a coy to get more money and drum up value from NHL teams.

You think Kovy, at the ripe old age of 27, would retreat to the abyss of Siberia to play for Avangard Omsk or something like that?

The trajedy of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl kind of answers that question...not too many in-their-prime players are going to risk playing for a league that can't guarantee the safety and living conditions of its players. Add to the fact that these teams, although they tell you they will pay you $20-plus million, may not actually be able to pay it.

If Kovy doesn't show "true value" in the next 2-3 years, you may see him packaged and sent off to another team while he is below 31 years old...

Edited by Mitico12
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Kovy has an agent that knows how to play the $$ game. The KHL rumor was also placed by Kovy's agent in an effort to drum up demand for his client. Which never came.

When there were no teams interested in Kovy, he had to settle on the Devils (although using the Devils offer and going back to try and to get LA to offer more was pretty bogus). We are stuck with him for at least the next two or three years. Until he goes the Rolston route.

First of all. Shut up.

Second of all... to say other teams weren't interested... ugh... see my first statement.

EVERY team was interested. Grossman did not drum up a KHL rumor to get NHL interest for his client. He had his own agent in Russia who came up with the offer along with the KHL president advertising their desperation to sign him and get him back to Russia. If he did, Grossman would lose out on his client and his commission. The fact that Kovy turned down such a big offer from Atlanta is what scared other teams away. No one, including you, will ever know what Kovy's motivation was. You could say it wasn't fueled by money... but who's to say that's right or wrong? The Atlanta situation and the money that the KHL was offering scared other teams away. Chiarelli in Boston expressed his interest but also said he wasn't going to bend the CBA and offer that kind of money for any player. The Kings went hard. The Isles, Rangers, Flyers, and other teams were rumored to be making offers. At the end of the day... no one was able to put out the kind of deal that Lou was. The Kings were close.

There's so much that goes into a contract it's not just money and years. Players have been seeking certain clauses if there's another work stoppage. I'm sure the olympics in 2014 in Sochi are in there somewhere. The Devils also have pretty specific team rules that go into contracts. Vanderbeek was involved to sign off on the amount he could spend.

Also for you to say we are stuck with him for another 2 to 3 years... do you listen to yourself? I guarantee you that you're alone in that thought. We are going to have a lot of cap space, great young players... add to that the money doesn't come from my pocket or yours and it appears that it will not stop the team from doing business. I personally don't give a crap what the financial terms are. The fact that the Devils get a dynamic and amazing hockey player on our team for the next 10+ years is awesome. Where's Oduya, Cormier, and Bergfors? Do you think the team was better off keeping those players? Last year, Kovy single handedly made this team respectable and actually had us thinking playoffs for a little while there.

I feel like if Kovy scored 75 goals this year and we won the cup you'd still have something ridiculous to say. Are you an 80 year old woman? Quit the bitching.

Or let us all save you the time and inform you that Kovy is going to be here for the DURATION of his career. Go find a new team to root for if you have such a problem with it.

Uhhh, poor example my friends. The KHL was NEVER realistically an option. It was just a coy to get more money and drum up value from NHL teams.

You think Kovy, at the ripe old age of 27, would retreat to the abyss of Siberia to play for Avangard Omsk or something like that?

The trajedy of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl kind of answers that question...not too many in-their-prime players are going to risk playing for a league that can't guarantee the safety and living conditions of its players. Add to the fact that these teams, although they tell you they will pay you $20-plus million, may not actually be able to pay it.

If Kovy doesn't show "true value" in the next 2-3 years, you may see him packaged and sent off to another team while he is below 31 years old...

I think the fact that he's a fan favorite already, almost brought our terrible team to the playoffs last season on his own, and in four games this year has a game winning goal and game tying goal proves some value no? You're going to see more as he helps the development of guys like Josefson and Palmieri.

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http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/7122541/nhl-jaromir-jagr-last-nhl-player-seek-khl-money

So I guess it's confirmed that money is not his only motivation. :P

$20 million per year for 'how many' years, three? I heard there was an offer to that effect at the time, three or four years long. That's still not $100 million guaranteed.

And even if Russia had offered him more money, you can't guarantee every check is coming over there. Hell look at the financial problems we're having and we're solvent and not paying him nearly 'that' much this year :P

EVERY team was interested. Grossman did not drum up a KHL rumor to get NHL interest for his client. He had his own agent in Russia who came up with the offer along with the KHL president advertising their desperation to sign him and get him back to Russia. If he did, Grossman would lose out on his client and his commission. The fact that Kovy turned down such a big offer from Atlanta is what scared other teams away

That's contradictory...Kovy turned down the offer from Atlanta months before FA, which basically priced everyone other than two teams out of the market. We offered him more years and more money than anyone in the US and probably more total guaranteed money than any team in the world.

It's not so bad to admit Kovy stayed for the money, hell look at all the people who've left us for the money. Is it such a mortal sin that the guy stayed for the biggest paycheck? 98% of pro athletes are going where the money is, trying to find one like Marty who doesn't is harder than looking for a needle in a haystack (which also makes it even more goofy that half the board can't stand Marty).

Really, it's comical the extent to which people are going to try to find 'another' motivation for Kovy to have stayed besides money. When Gomez, Holik, etc were giving flimsy excuses over why they went to the Rangers and claimed it had nothing to do with money, we laughed at them. Like the DVD presentation the Rangers gave Holik. And now we're doing the same thing when one of our own stays for the most money, trying to pretend it's not because of the money.

And I could care less that it is about the money, so long as he gives two ***** and produces.

Edited by NJDevs4978
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Only a fool passes up the KHL for the contract the Devils gave him if money is his ONLY motivation. Don't forget that in real dollars, half of his NHL salary gets taxed away and then it gets eaten at by escrow as well. I don't know if that KHL contract was tax-free, but they do offer those. The KHL can offer more money. What it can't offer is the prestige of the NHL.

What is true is that Kovalchuk decided on the NHL team that was willing to pay him the most money.

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LoL @ the completely retarded people suggesting there wasn't a real, HUGE, contract offered to him from the KHL. I don't understand your motivation, or reasoning if you're being serious. This is one of the best hockey players in the world, and he's russian to boot. There are no salary caps in european sports, and tons of filthy rich oligarks who who don't know what to do with their money.

Of course money is one of his, and every other pro athletes, motivations. Clearly he also want's to play in the NHL though. If it was all about the money, he'd be moving home to Russia.

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Can't we all accept that Kovalchuk is here for another 14 years and that he is indeed a *GASP* team player who actually wants to help his team win?

It really bothers me that in spite of all he's done for the team that many are STILL questioning the move to sign him. He's better in the locker room than Langenbrunner, yet some fans are treating him like a locker room cancer.

Dude has his faults but is still one of the best in the world at what he does. We have a player like that ON OUR TEAM. Can't we be grateful?

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Can't we all accept that Kovalchuk is here for another 14 years and that he is indeed a *GASP* team player who actually wants to help his team win?

It really bothers me that in spite of all he's done for the team that many are STILL questioning the move to sign him. He's better in the locker room than Langenbrunner, yet some fans are treating him like a locker room cancer.

Dude has his faults but is still one of the best in the world at what he does. We have a player like that ON OUR TEAM. Can't we be grateful?

At this point, the dissenters are defending themselves only because accepting that they were wrong would be too big of a shot to their ego.. Please, you were kind of right for the first half of last season (and the whole team sucked anyway) but Kovalchuk proved himself in the 2nd half last season.. If you disagree, you either didn't follow the team during that time or you're grasping at straws like your life depends on it

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yeah soulartists - it makes zero sense to me either.

I'm not sure what people want. He is signed now. You cannot undo anything. People are recreationally bitching and NOTHING can put a stop to it. It's irrational. There is no combatting irrationality.

Quite honestly my Stevens ravings are more rational and productive than these bitchfests against Kovalchuk. I stand a better chance of getting #4 in my petticoat than these guys have of getting Kovalchuk's contract voided - or even getting Kovalchuk bought out in the next 5 years.

I dont know why anyone even engages in an attempt to refute the idiocy.

Manta has never once told anyone what he stands to gain chronically bitching. I ask him repeatedly.

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Can't we all accept that Kovalchuk is here for another 14 years and that he is indeed a *GASP* team player who actually wants to help his team win?

It really bothers me that in spite of all he's done for the team that many are STILL questioning the move to sign him. He's better in the locker room than Langenbrunner, yet some fans are treating him like a locker room cancer.

Dude has his faults but is still one of the best in the world at what he does. We have a player like that ON OUR TEAM. Can't we be grateful?

There are far more Marty bashers here than Kovy bashers, it's just that one of the Kovy bashers is particuarly voiceforous :P

At this point, the dissenters are defending themselves only because accepting that they were wrong would be too big of a shot to their ego.. Please, you were kind of right for the first half of last season (and the whole team sucked anyway) but Kovalchuk proved himself in the 2nd half last season.. If you disagree, you either didn't follow the team during that time or you're grasping at straws like your life depends on it

Can the Devils at least make the playoffs and get Zach re-signed before we 'claim victory'? After all, for all of Kovy's great goals down the stretch, we still didn't make the playoffs last year for the first time in 15 years - whatever reason or reasons you want to attribute it to (Mac, Langs, Lou's cap management), the fact is if we don't make the playoffs again this year it becomes that much harder to dismiss as coincidence. And part of the rationale for the people ripping the Kovy signing was that it would cause us to lose Zach, that hasn't been disproven yet either.

Edited by NJDevs4978
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I was on the fence about Kovy for awhile, and now I'm behind the signing (though I think it's too many years, but that's a different issue). That said, he's flawed. He's a superstar in a lot of ways -- he can score like nobody's business, he's strong and can double shift, he's a great skater, but he also has holes in his game that other superstars don't. He's still scary in the dzone, though he's improving there, and he doesn't elevate mediocre linesmen like Zach or a big time center would. Considering his salary and its cap implications, I think it's fair to complain about the shortcomings, especially if we lose Zach, who is a much more complete player, and better IMO. I'm not agreeing with Manta anymore than I agree with LD about Marty, but a lot of people here are pointing out real issues, not bashing him. In the end, Kovy should inspire those thoughts -- Kovy apologists and haters are both wrong.

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are we seriously still having this convo that Kovy is greedy? I cant believe there are this many people that actually think he is THIS bad of a person. First of all, with the money he's being offered, are you blaming him for taking the contract he did- even tho he didn't take the highest paying one?? Get over this, its ridiculous.. there really isn't much basis to say that Kovy is only about the money

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