Rumor: Bruins, Flames, and Penguins interested in Kovalchuk

[MMC]

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[Evgeny Oliker]

I think it will come down to Boston and Pitt.

I think both are decent spots for him but if offer is about same I think Kovy goes for Pitt to play with Malkin.

 

[Hansen]

I think it will come down to Boston and Pitt.

I think both are decent spots for him but if offer is about same I think Kovy goes for Pitt to play with Malkin.

I wonder if theyre going to announce that he's signed in Pittsburgh only to take it back and he actually signs with Boston

 

[Empoleon8771]

Oh God please not Pittsburgh. The Penguins are a team based on speed, all around play and work ethic at this point. Kovalchuk is literally the opposite of all of that.

They already have a better version of Kovalchuk in Galchenyuk, and they're trying to get rid of him because of how bad of a fit he is here. Yet Kovalchuk would be better?

 

[TorontoTrades]

Pitt and let Malkin babysit him

 

[Canovin]

Oh God please not Pittsburgh. The Penguins are a team based on speed, all around play and work ethic at this point. Kovalchuk is literally the opposite of all of that.

They already have a better version of Kovalchuk in Galchenyuk, and they're trying to get rid of him because of how bad of a fit he is here. Yet Kovalchuk would be better?

Galchenyuk is a better version of Kovy? lol

 

[super6646]

He won’t come to cowtown. Would be a nice piece for the middle six.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Galchenyuk is a better version of Kovy? lol

Yes, of course he is. Garbage possession player that offers nothing beyond his shot, but Kovalchuk is even more garbage with possession. He's a straight up horrendous player at this point.

Based on what is Kovalchuk better than Galchenyuk? Galchenyuk stinks, but he only stinks. Kovalchuk is literally horrendous. Kovalchuk wouldn't have been bought out had he not been horrendous.

 

[super6646]

He won’t come to cowtown. Would be a nice piece for the middle six being that he is an actual right handed shot though.

 

[UConn126]

Oh God please not Pittsburgh. The Penguins are a team based on speed, all around play and work ethic at this point. Kovalchuk is literally the opposite of all of that.

They already have a better version of Kovalchuk in Galchenyuk, and they're trying to get rid of him because of how bad of a fit he is here. Yet Kovalchuk would be better?

Likewise, I want nothing to do with him on Boston. Bruins need a real deal, in his prime winger if they want to make another run at the Cup, not a washed up, has-been.

 

[Canovin]

Yes, of course he is. Garbage possession player that offers nothing beyond his shot, but Kovalchuk is even more garbage with possession. He's a straight up horrendous player at this point.

Based on what is Kovalchuk better than Galchenyuk? Galchenyuk stinks, but he only stinks. Kovalchuk is literally horrendous. Kovalchuk wouldn't have been bought out had he not been horrendous.

Kovy was playing to be bought out or traded. Galchenyuk is playing to save his career. Kovy still has the better shot, right handed. Most teams could use him on the PP.

 

[Wiggleboom]

I’d like him on the Bruins but only if he comes with a time machine.

 

[flamesforcup]

He would be a great fit with the Flames. We need a top 6 rh shot bad and i think he would work. Hope he comes.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Kovalchuk seems like a bad fit for the style Pittsburgh wants to play.

Though the one positive is it would add a guy who can snipe instead of just volume shoot. Then again, I thought the same thing about Galchenyuk this summer.

 

[PensandCaps]

Galchenyuk is a better version of Kovy? lol

yah. are you stuck in 2007?

 

[Hookslide]

Likewise, I want nothing to do with him on Boston. Bruins need a real deal, in his prime winger if they want to make another run at the Cup, not a washed up, has-been.

I could not have said it better myself. I think it would be a typical Donnie deal ..........that results in no improvement in his team.

 

[DesertPenguin]

Kovy was playing to be bought out or traded. Galchenyuk is playing to save his career. Kovy still has the better shot, right handed. Most teams could use him on the PP.

If all Kovy does is play the PP to fill Kessel's spot, it will work great for Pittsburgh. Their power play is a serious problem this season, and was so even with everyone healthy.

Kovy at every other facet of the game and in the locker room: no thank you.

 

[SEALBound]

He is the anti-thesis to the Penguins. Young, fast, defensively responsible play does not seem like his forte` at the moment. Have fun Flames and Bruins.

 

[Extra Texture]

Kovalchuk seems like a bad fit for the style Pittsburgh wants to play.

Though the one positive is it would add a guy who can snipe instead of just volume shoot. Then again, I thought the same thing about Galchenyuk this summer.

Yeah, I think he’d be an awful fit with this team.

 

[ViD]

Yes, of course he is. Garbage possession player that offers nothing beyond his shot, but Kovalchuk is even more garbage with possession. He's a straight up horrendous player at this point.

Based on what is Kovalchuk better than Galchenyuk? Galchenyuk stinks, but he only stinks. Kovalchuk is literally horrendous. Kovalchuk wouldn't have been bought out had he not been horrendous.

Kovalchuk has better production than Galchy?

 

[Yung Rotini]

Would love Kovalchuk on the Flames, a right shot winger would be dope

 

[bleedgreen]

I have no idea why anyone thinks Kovy is slow. He was one of the fastest Kings I saw during his time. Of coure that'll lead to snarky comments about the Kings being slow but not only is he still pretty quick he was busting his butt on the forecheck pretty frequently when I watched. He's fast enough to still play, his shot is still better than most, his work ethic has been awesome from everything I heard from the Kings and he's showed up both years in great shape. This could be a pretty huge steal for someone.

The biggest problem with Kovy being a penguin with Malkin is he would likely defer too much to Malkin. The biggest difference I've seen in Kovy's play is that he is trying too hard to fit in and forcing passes in situations he would normally just take it to the net. I'd actually like to see him with Crosby.

 

[Mrfenn92]

Take 5 on 5 out, as tough as it is. He'll be signing with someone to be on the power play.
He's a player you can role the dice on and see where's he at over the next 20 games. If it doesn't work then move on from him.
He's a league minimum guy for the rest of the season.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Kovy was playing to be bought out or traded. Galchenyuk is playing to save his career. Kovy still has the better shot, right handed. Most teams could use him on the PP.

So Kovalchuk was playing to be bought out last year, too?

Face it, the dude is just a horrible player at this point:




He is worse than Galchenyuk, not because Galchenyuk is good but because he's heinously bad.

 

[Empoleon8771]

I have no idea why anyone thinks Kovy is slow. He was one of the fastest Kings I saw during his time. Of coure that'll lead to snarky comments about the Kings being slow but not only is he still pretty quick he was busting his butt on the forecheck pretty frequently when I watched. He's fast enough to still play, his shot is still better than most, his work ethic has been awesome from everything I heard from the Kings and he's showed up both years in great shape. This could be a pretty huge steal for someone.

The biggest problem with Kovy being a penguin with Malkin is he would likely defer too much to Malkin. The biggest difference I've seen in Kovy's play is that he is trying too hard to fit in and forcing passes in situations he would normally just take it to the net. I'd actually like to see him with Crosby.

I will say that watching clips of his 2018-2019 goals, it's right that he's not a slow player. You can tell that he gets around the ice well, especially in the early parts of those clips. He still has the rocket of a shot. The problem is that's all he has.

In theory, signing Kovalchuk for league minimum would be great for the average team. The problem is that he's not better than what Boston and Pittsburgh already have, and his horrid possession results will likely drag down the good results those two teams have had. I don't think his shot outweights literally everything else about his game. For teams who already have good forward depth and aren't struggling to score goals, I just can't rationalize that being worth it. Sure, Kovalchuk may be able to put up 25 goals and 50 points (or a pace around that) while on one of those teams, but he's going to be a net negative for him. I don't know why a team that traded Phil Kessel last year because of his play away from the puck suddenly wants to acquire Kovalchuk.