[News] Ilya Kovalchuk retiring

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by WilderPegasus

Sounds like Roenick is going full drama queen so that he gets some attention. I'm more curious if he replies to Allen Walsh on the twitter.

Speaking of drama queens...

[trackercowe]

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

Now Lamoreillo's decision to not forfeit the 29th overall pick two years ago looks like a colossal blunder. If he was the Flames GM I know many would be calling for his head over that.

If Feaster or any GM was one of the primary reasons we`d won three cups I think he'd be given a pass. The only GM in the last 30 years that has been successful as Lamoreillo was Scotty Bowman, so making the wrong choice that one year shouldn't come close to costing him his job.

Originally Posted by Locke

And theres your 'Russian Factor.'

Say what you want about the 'Russian Factor', but Kovalchuk has been an all-star his entire career, and probably a top ten player for 10 years. If Monahan or any other Flames prospect played at Kovalchuk's level for ten years then retired I for one would be ecstatic. Sure Kovalchuk is screwing over the Devils (even if they really didn't give up anything for him), and they made the finals with him as well, but he still was a elite player for over a decade. Perhaps even Hall of Fame bound if he does well internationally for the next while.

[Diemenz]

Originally Posted by trackercowe

If Feaster or any GM was one of the primary reasons we`d won three cups I think he'd be given a pass. The only GM in the last 30 years that has been successful as Lamoreillo was Scotty Bowman, so making the wrong choice that one year shouldn't come close to costing him his job.


Say what you want about the 'Russian Factor', but Kovalchuk has been an all-star his entire career, and probably a top ten player for 10 years. If Monahan or any other Flames prospect played at Kovalchuk's level for ten years then retired I for one would be ecstatic. Sure Kovalchuk is screwing over the Devils (even if they really didn't give up anything for him), and they made the finals with him as well, but he still was a elite player for over a decade.Perhaps even Hall of Fame bound if he does well internationally for the next while.

Really?

[Erick Estrada]

I think this is for the best. He obviously wasn't happy there and really never fit in that great as a Devil. Now the team can move on without that boat anchor contract. There's a reason that Russian's are starting to become scarce in the league. Many of them just don't seem to fit in that well with the demands of the NHL and seem to get really homesick.

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by trackercowe

If Feaster or any GM was one of the primary reasons we`d won three cups I think he'd be given a pass. The only GM in the last 30 years that has been successful as Lamoreillo was Scotty Bowman, so making the wrong choice that one year shouldn't come close to costing him his job.

.

Scotty Bowman has never been a GM in the NHL that I can recall.

[Geeoff]

I've always thought that the NHL penalizing the Devils a 1st round pick was a dick move. The Devils followed the rules as written and the NHL already vetoed the deal they considered circumvention.

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I think this is for the best. He obviously wasn't happy there and really never fit in that great as a Devil. Now the team can move on without that boat anchor contract. There's a reason that Russian's are starting to become scarce in the league. Many of them just don't seem to fit in that well with the demands of the NHL and seem to get really homesick.

I disagree with this entirely. Kovalchuk has been the Devils best player the entire time he was there.

[trackercowe]

Originally Posted by Diemenz

Really?

Why not? There are worse players in the Hall of Fame.

Point per game player (exactly actually), 417 goals in 816 games, two world championship gold medals (he excels in that tournament), Bronze in Salt Lake, Rocket Richard Winner, etc. You'd be hard pressed to find a better goal scorer over the last decade. He has Buresque type numbers, and he's in the Hall of Fame. Maybe not as exciting to watch as Bure was in his heyday, but if he can add an Olympics Gold Medal and a another couple World Championship gold medals you could make a case he deserves to get in.

You know how many players have scored more goals than Kovalchuk since he entered the league? I believe just Hossa, and he might even have more now (third in goals in the 2000's behind Jagr and Hossa). The dude most definitely was a prolific goal scorer, even if he retires now.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Geeoff

I disagree with this entirely. Kovalchuk has been the Devils best player the entire time he was there.

I guess we will agree to disagree. He had a good year in 2011/2012 but that was the only season he averaged a point a game like he did in Atlanta. The other two years well below a point a game.

[Sidney Crosby's Hat]

Originally Posted by transplant99

Scotty Bowman has never been a GM in the NHL that I can recall.

He was Sabres GM for 7 years.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by trackercowe

Why not? There are worse players in the Hall of Fame.

Point per game player (exactly actually), 417 goals in 816 games, two world championship gold medals (he excels in that tournament), Bronze in Salt Lake, Rocket Richard Winner, etc. You'd be hard pressed to find a better goal scorer over the last decade. He has Buresque type numbers, and he's in the Hall of Fame. Maybe not as exciting to watch as Bure was in his heyday, but if he can add an Olympics Gold Medal and a another couple World Championship gold medals you could make a case he deserves to get in.

If he goes in then Fleury should be a shoo in.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by trackercowe

Why not? There are worse players in the Hall of Fame.

Point per game player (exactly actually), 417 goals in 816 games, two world championship gold medals (he excels in that tournament), Bronze in Salt Lake, Rocket Richard Winner, etc. You'd be hard pressed to find a better goal scorer over the last decade. He has Buresque type numbers, and he's in the Hall of Fame. Maybe not as exciting to watch as Bure was in his heyday, but if he can add an Olympics Gold Medal and a another couple World Championship gold medals you could make a case he deserves to get in.

International Bronzes? World Championships?

Guy's a great goal scorer. That's it.

Not on Bure's level at all.

[trackercowe]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

If he goes in then Fleury should be a shoo in.

Was Fleury a top ten player for the better part of his career? Not many players can say they were as good as Kovalchuk from pretty much the day he entered the league to the day he retired (and yes that's easier to say when you retire at the age of 30). You could easily make a case though that Kovalchuk has been an elite player for the majority of his career. Maybe his accolades won't get him in, but the numbers he put up each and every year for the last decade have been exceptional.

People love to bring up Iginla's 30 goal streak as a mark to show how great of a goal scorer he was for the last decade. How many times in Kovalchuk's career did he score less than 30 goals (not counting this year)? All of one time, in his rookie year where he scored 29 goals in 65 games. 30 goals each year over the span of a decade, pretty outstanding numbers imo.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

If he goes in then Fleury should be a shoo in.

Fleury should be in anyway.

1000 gp, 1000 pts, 2000(?) pims?

[Ashasx]

You can't build teams around Russians.

NJ is going to be right with us at the bottom of the standings next year... and they won't even have a 1st round pick to look forward to.

[Hockey_Ninja]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

You can't build teams around Russians.

NJ is going to be right with us at the bottom of the standings next year... and they won't even have a 1st round pick to look forward to.

It'll pay of in 2015. I predict they'll be with us in the McDavid sweepstakes.

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by Sidney Crosby's Hat

He was Sabres GM for 7 years.

Oh yeah...forgot bout that as he was also head coach for much of his time there as well.

[Teh_Bandwagoner]

Originally Posted by driveway

The Devils made the finals after signing Kovalchuk to that deal, we didn't make it out of the first round after signing Kipper to his, that's another difference.

I would trade five consecutive first-round picks for a guaranteed spot in the Stanley Cup finals and I wouldn't even blink.

I would as well. I'm just pointing out that some people on this thread are comparing Kipper's early retirement to Kovalchuk's retirement, when really the situations are very very different.

[cral12]

Hypothetical: If Kovalchuk would've announced retirement before NHL draft, would Valeri Nichushkin have dropped further than 10th overall?

Kovy: gift that keeps on giving; b/c of cap circumvention Devils also have to forfeit their 2014 NHL draft pick (without him you would think it'll be a higher pick).

[Sylvanfan]

So say the Devils are terrible and miss the playoffs, finishing in one of the bottom three spots. Would they still go in the lottery, and if they win, the pick is just skipped over in the first round?

[Ashasx]

Originally Posted by Sylvanfan

So say the Devils are terrible and miss the playoffs, finishing in one of the bottom three spots. Would they still go in the lottery, and if they win, the pick is just skipped over in the first round?

Let's hope so.