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If you were Kovalchuk


NewarkDevil5

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Ever since I first heard about the trade, all I (and it would seem, many of the rest of you) can think about is whether or not we can keep him here long term. Obviously the incentive is there for the team to make every reasonable attempt, given that he is not only the most talented forward to ever don New Jersey's red and black, but also the most marketable star ever to play between the Delaware and Hudson rivers.

New Jersey is also the first team in Ilya's career to ever have a sniff at making noise in the playoffs. He joins a cast of characters that includes a superstar goalie, several star-level forwards (Elias, Parise, and Zajac), a decently competent defense corps supplemented by a coach who has always been able to get the most out of his team defensively and has proven his mettle by not only winning a championship, but building a team concept that lasted in this state for over a decade and led to two later championships. He will play in a market with enough access to media to get him any level of star treatment he might want, but also gives him the option for anonymity should he choose that as his preference.

The state has some of the neighborhoods and schools to choose from in the country for his children (including large Russian communities should he be interested in that). It has one of the highest standards of living in the country.

All in all, if you factor in all that New Jersey has going for it (much of which, players who have never played here would never know about), our state could possibly muster up a very decent argument for him to make it his permanent home. Lets face it, if he wants to win in the playoffs, then looking for a max contract will never allow him that satisfaction. No team will be able to build a supporting cast around him if he occupies a full 20% of the payroll.

Thoughts?

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i don't truly believe he signs anywhere near a max contract in the US.

i suppose $15MM/year in the KHL could get him to go over there but i firmly believe that he'd had enough of the losing in atlanta.

i think he'll have a cap hit of $8MM but it will be 10-12 years and pay high for the first 4-5.

i think there's just as much of whether NJ wants to keep him at that number as there is if he wants to play here.

if i had to guess, i really think LA is where he ends up.

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No because I want to keep my house in Atlanta and get a second in Jersey... and the cost of living is WAAAAY higher here -- no his costs have gone up sooooo....sorry -- the ante is going to have to go up I'm afraid... it's just business. Right?

Personally I think he sounds pretty low key. He's been a star so he needs no personal recognition. He's got a family - he'll want to chill. and he wants to play some decent hockey. Now does that mean Zach Parise kind of hockey? How does this guy feel about the game itself? I have no idea really.

If I were him - with my line of thinking.... I think I'd like to put in 2 years in NJ just to see how it felt.... but if the Red Wings came knocking I'd go there hands down. If the Rangers came knocking I think --- it would be a lot of irritation/frustration that I just wouldn't need at this point in my career. Boson would be interesting.... I'd consider Anaheim - maybe Denver... I'd look at the Canes but probably not go there.

I would not be sold on Jersey - but I'd enjoying dipping my toe in the water. If it was too much work and no one was listening no amount of money woudl keep me there. the team itself - the players - have the onus on keeping him here.

Edited by Darwindog
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No because I want to keep my house in Atlanta and get a second in Jersey... and the cost of living is WAAAAY higher here -- no his costs have gone up sooooo....sorry -- the ante is going to have to go up I'm afraid... it's just business. Right?

The cost of living might be a concern to us average joes, but is that something that has a big enough impact to even consider to someone making several million dollars per year?

Income taxes might be an issue. I think the highest bracket in Georgia is 6%. It's 10.75 in NJ.

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No because I want to keep my house in Atlanta and get a second in Jersey... and the cost of living is WAAAAY higher here -- no his costs have gone up sooooo....sorry -- the ante is going to have to go up I'm afraid... it's just business. Right?

Yes, but WINNING to players matters, and in some cases is worth sacrificing some money for. As an NHL player, I am sure Kovalchuk REALLY wants to win a Stanley Cup. The Devils are set up right now to have some damn good teams for the next few years. I hope he likes this group and organization and wants to stay. We definitely will not be the highest bidders in an auction, but hopefully he makes up his mind before it gets to July 1.

The cost of living might be a concern to us average joes, but is that something that has a big enough impact to even consider to someone making several million dollars per year?

Income taxes might be an issue. I think the highest bracket in Georgia is 6%. It's 10.75 in NJ.

Hardly. "Oh wait...I am going to NJ and the cost of living is a little higher? Oh ok, I just checked and I am still filthy rich, we're good!"

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Hardly. "Oh wait...I am going to NJ and the cost of living is a little higher? Oh ok, I just checked and I am still filthy rich, we're good!"

Spoken like a dude who knows no one with money, and has ZERO clue what it's like to have money :giggle:

oh yeah -- and has never been involved in any high stakes negotiating...

Edited by Darwindog
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Spoken like a dude who knows no one with money, and has ZERO clue what it's like to have money :giggle:

oh yeah -- and has never been involved in any high stakes negotiating...

Idiotic statements. It is obviously not ALL about money with Kovalchuk as evidenced by his LEAVING $101 MILLION OFFER ON THE TABLE. So tell me, oh wise one...what's it like to have that kind of money?

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I think he isn't going to get more money than Atlanta was offering, and when he turned down the offers, he and his agent had to have known it. Still, he wants to be, at the very least, one of the top five highest paid players in the league. It doesn't have much to do with the amount of money as such, but really getting paid what you feel you deserve relative to what others are being paid. There's also probably some unstated pressure from the players association for free agents to go for as much money as they can get.

Although the common wisdom is that our cap situation doesn't permit us to resign him, if we let Martin go, and especially if Lou does something about Pando's and White's contracts, there's plenty of room to pay Kovy $8 million per year, and still have enough to pay Parise $7 million plus after next year.

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The question is what type of person the player is? What really means the most to the player?

Lou usually lets the players get to free agancy and the player decides what is most important to them. Ie Most Bucks, Original 6, nightlife, schools etc.

What is/are the important factor(s) to Kovalchuk? Then the question of where he will play be answered.

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Idiotic statements. It is obviously not ALL about money with Kovalchuk as evidenced by his LEAVING $101 MILLION OFFER ON THE TABLE. So tell me, oh wise one...what's it like to have that kind of money?

Well...actually...I'm a dog. So money is kind of irrelevant to me.

Money isn't about money. The point of my tongue in cheek comment that started this little side branch wasn't about money either.

Without reading the after-comments I edited in my opinion to that post- I'll say it again because your being idiotic calling a dog's off the cuff cracks idiotic. Kovalchuk isn't invested in anything emotionally except his family to a degree and having a pleasant life as a successful hockey player. He has no clue where it is he can be a successful hockey player - not Atlanta that's for sure. I think anyone will be a successful hockey player in Detroit - I think there are a lot of up and coming places. Jersey is tested and successful but it has it's drawbacks and the desire to win is NOT a selling point for the team at this point. He's going to have to enjoy the system and feel he's making a significant impact without bearing the entire load for the teams success. Detroit is where a guy like that belongs and it will take a lot of selling in a very limited time to convince this guy to sign. by the same token he'll have to impress the organization equally if he wants to stay. It's not about the finesse for New Jersey so... we'll just have to see.

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Idiotic statements. It is obviously not ALL about money with Kovalchuk as evidenced by his LEAVING $101 MILLION OFFER ON THE TABLE. So tell me, oh wise one...what's it like to have that kind of money?

I have worked with several people who make more than Kovy's 101mm/10yr deal (by a fair margin).

There are some extravagant people (one guy bought AI's house when he originally left Philly), but most I know, are actually pretty tight with their money. They might buy lunch for the desk here and there... but for the most part, to an outsider, you'd never know.

Kovalchuk values winning... but that doesn't mean he doesn't value money. Everyone though Gaborik was crazy walking away from Minneosta money, just to find it in NY. Kovy will find his pay day in a city he enjoys. Maybe he wants to go back to Russia? Or maybe he wants to make 8mm playing for a winner than 10mm average playing for a losing team.

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I have worked with several people who make more than Kovy's 101mm/10yr deal (by a fair margin).

There are some extravagant people (one guy bought AI's house when he originally left Philly), but most I know, are actually pretty tight with their money. They might buy lunch for the desk here and there... but for the most part, to an outsider, you'd never know.

Kovalchuk values winning... but that doesn't mean he doesn't value money. Everyone though Gaborik was crazy walking away from Minneosta money, just to find it in NY. Kovy will find his pay day in a city he enjoys. Maybe he wants to go back to Russia? Or maybe he wants to make 8mm playing for a winner than 10mm average playing for a losing team.

Don't the Devils fit the $8mill/yr figure and playing for a winner?

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The question is what type of person the player is? What really means the most to the player?

Lou usually lets the players get to free agancy and the player decides what is most important to them. Ie Most Bucks, Original 6, nightlife, schools etc.

What is/are the important factor(s) to Kovalchuk? Then the question of where he will play be answered.

Then you have to wonder how big of a factor is winning the Cup or not winning the Cup. Say the Devils win the Cup this year, maybe he had his taste of winning and might be happy settling back down in Atlanta where he is comfortable and his kids go to school etc. But if the Devils get to the 3rd round or the Finals and lose, maybe he realizes how badly he wants to win and pulls a Hossa, signing a much cheaper contract with a contender.

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I have theorized on my show, that if you turn down a contract that would make you the highest paid player in the game, that there have to be other mitigating factors involved...I believe the Devils will take a more than earnest shot at retaining Kovy to a deal, now what kind of a deal remains to be seen - - - although it will most certainly be a deal that would be less in dollars than he might get somewhere else. Turning those dollars down in Atlanta, I mean if the objective was to make a King's ransom, he was offered it, turned it down, and one may conclude that he failed to see Atlanta being a winning team now, or in the longer term. Thus I'll assume that Kovy wanted to become part of a winning culture to experience the thrill of playing for something not tangibly available in Atlanta, and that perhaps the money wasn't the be all and end all for him...in Atlanta - or anywhere else? If that's the case (big assumption) then being able to become a part of the Devils winning culture and having an opportunity to win a championship or three, could convince Kovy to sign for less money and years to play in Jersey. The franchise has available revenue streams in the new building it never previously possessed, the Nets are about to become a two year tenant...I'd say it's no worse than 50-50 that Kovy signs some sort of a deal that keeps him here beyond the remainder of this season.

P.S. Another thought to consider, maybe the Devils brass will remind Kovy again and again, that they were the trailblazers and forerunners, within NHL circles, in terms of importing Russian players to the league. Someone get Fetisov on the phone! Anything to gain the advantage!

Edited by DinoCosta
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as much as i would love to see it happen, i really dont see us resigning kovy. truthfully, he is going to demand a lot more money than the devs can/will commit to a player, and while jersey is a much better place to play for kovy, i just dont see him being absolutely thrilled to play here to the point that he will take less money just to be a devil. i really think he might end up going over to russia, but then again, none of us actually know him personally and everything we say is just speculation. maybe a taste of the cup could convince him to stay here past this year

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Kovalchuk has never even won a playoff game. I bet a nice Cup run would make him hungry for more, and why not stick around here where you have the best goalie ever and a good supporting cast?

It's tough to tell right now how important money is to him - either he turned down $101 million because he truly wants more, or he turned it down just to go to a better team.

Edited by iamtheprodigy
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Doesn't seem like Lou's style to sign a newcomer to Devilland to a gigantic contract. Big time deals to try and put the team over the top to challenge for the cup yes, but only once has he resigned one of those big time players acquired by trade. Jamie Langenbrunner. Only way I see a huge deal offered to Kovy is if it is vanderbeek making the call and not Lou.

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Doesn't seem like Lou's style to sign a newcomer to Devilland to a gigantic contract. Big time deals to try and put the team over the top to challenge for the cup yes, but only once has he resigned one of those big time players acquired by trade. Jamie Langenbrunner. Only way I see a huge deal offered to Kovy is if it is vanderbeek making the call and not Lou.

I think Vanderbeek had something to do with us acquiring Ilya in the first place....

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I was kind of wondering if Jeff Vanderbeek didn't have a bit to do with this move. It strikes me as something the owner might get involved in, not to necessarily force Lou's hand (that would be grounds in Lou's mind for early retirement), but to at the very least make the suggestion and give the go-ahead.

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Did somebody really say he would take a one year deal? That's insane the guy clearly is headed to FA, he's going to be looking for a boatload on money and a long term deal something I can't see Lou willing to do. Some team will step up with a huge offer and the Devils aren't the only team in the mix for a cup. Time will tell but if another contender steps up with a mega deal he's not gonna pass it up like he did in Atlanta where they never had a shot. He's in a position where he can have both.

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It would appear, titans04, that we are in uncharted territory of sorts over here, because in the McMullen and YankeeNets years there is no way we would have ever traded for someone making that kind of money and with that kind of current prestige. It was always people on the downside of their careers (Housley, Gilmour, Andreychuk, Nieuwendyk, and even to an extent Mogilny). If Vanderbeek was behind this move as I suspect he very well may have been (at the very least giving it more encouragement than prior owners would have) then there is a very good possibility that we make as strong a push as we can feasibly (without ruining the ability of the team to be competitive within the salary cap) pull off to resign him.

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It would appear, titans04, that we are in uncharted territory of sorts over here, because in the McMullen and YankeeNets years there is no way we would have ever traded for someone making that kind of money and with that kind of current prestige. It was always people on the downside of their careers (Housley, Gilmour, Andreychuk, Nieuwendyk, and even to an extent Mogilny). If Vanderbeek was behind this move as I suspect he very well may have been (at the very least giving it more encouragement than prior owners would have) then there is a very good possibility that we make as strong a push as we can feasibly (without ruining the ability of the team to be competitive within the salary cap) pull off to resign him.

Agreed, it will be interesting to see how it plays out.

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