Friedman: Kovalchuk Linked to TOR, SJ, STL

[Poppy Whoa Sonnet]

You might need to take Ward or Boedker. Just sayin'.

The Devils will take your short term bad contracts gladly if you pay the price required. Boedker would need at least a 1st I think.

 

[ACC1224]

Can virtually guarantee Toronto has no interest (or should not) in Kovalchuk.

Why is this fanbase and media continuously thrusting more and more forwards onto the roster.

Their defense is junk. Fix the real problem.

Not that I believe in any way Kovalchuk is coming to Toronto but if he did, how does that prevent them from addressing "the real problem"?

 

[weastern bias]

A remotely healthy Sharks team is back in the WCF at least this year.

I don't want to derail the thread, but I don't agree

I don't blame injuries for the loss to EDM as much as lackluster play, and this team would have needed some extra firepower to even compete with the Ducks

 

[Poppy Whoa Sonnet]

I don't want to derail the thread, but I don't agree

I don't blame injuries for the loss to EDM as much as lackluster play, and this team would have needed some extra firepower to even compete with the Ducks

There's no team in either conference that can easily get to the conference finals. For the Sharks I think the Ducks/Flames/Oilers are all gonna be better than them next year which means making the playoffs alone might be a struggle.

 

[Pinkfloyd]

There's no team in either conference that can easily get to the conference finals. For the Sharks I think the Ducks/Flames/Oilers are all gonna be better than them next year which means making the playoffs alone might be a struggle.

I agree nobody makes it easily that far but the Pacific teams you list aren't all going to be better the Sharks next year. They all have their issues as do the Sharks. The off-season with the expansion draft is going to have a lot of movement to make any real claims. At this point, the Flames have a huge hole in net that's going to be an issue. The Oilers could be better depending on the moves they make this off-season. So could the Ducks but they're going to probably lose at least one good defenseman this off-season so it depends on who and what they get for them. The Sharks have flexibility to get better and even in a season where their depth completely failed them were still a top team until their March slump. This also included a poor year by Thornton's standards. Now it's perfectly reasonable to question whether that becomes his standard but if they add someone like Kovalchuk to their roster and only lose someone like Schlemko in the draft, they can absolutely compete with anyone in the Pacific next year.

Don't sleep on the Sharks and don't overestimate the other teams. There's a long way to go before hockey season starts again and there will be a lot of changes league-wide.

 

[Kcoyote3]

I think it was pretty clear we lost because of a combination of running out of gas, a 2 month slump, and everyone getting hurt around the same time.

**** happens, but I think this team also can when if they're healthy and rested.

 

[Pinkfloyd]

The Devils will take your short term bad contracts gladly if you pay the price required. Boedker would need at least a 1st I think.

I wouldn't be opposed to Kovalchuk for Boedker and a 1st. It just won't be this year.

 

[TML1967]

Can virtually guarantee Toronto has no interest (or should not) in Kovalchuk.

Why is this fanbase and media continuously thrusting more and more forwards onto the roster.

Their defense is junk. Fix the real problem.

I actually think this helps adress the D problem.
If the Leafs sign Kovy for a 2 year deal, it will expire before Marner and Matthews need to be re signed.
If they get Kovy, he can be slotted to play with Marner and Bozak on the LW. He played a good amount of LW as the RH trigger man.
With Kovy moving in, they can more easily move JVR for a D man without worrying about who takes his spot.

 

[EnglishDevil]

I'd do Kovalchuk for Boedker (salary purposes) + 2018 1st

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

It makes sense for Kovalchuk to move to San Jose, since Thornton and Marleau are likely to part ways in some shape or form from the team.

Blues already have a sniper named, "Vladimir Tarasenko".

 

[Pinkfloyd]

It makes sense for Kovalchuk to move to San Jose, since Thornton and Marleau are likely to part ways in some shape or form from the team.

Blues already have a sniper named, "Vladimir Tarasenko".

Thornton and Marleau are not likely to part ways. There is no evidence to support that statement. They can have all three players if they make the right moves.

 

[c_robio]

2 years with the sharks looks like a good fit. Can't see Toronto or St Louis though

 

[Falco Lombardi]

In order for St. Louis to be a fit, here's what has to happen:

-Salary cleared (probably Lehtera)
-One of Steen/Schwartz/Fabbri moved for a center

Easier said than done. That's without working a deal with New Jersey, which quite frankly is a sore spot still for St. Louis

 

[CaliforniaBlues310]

In order for St. Louis to be a fit, here's what has to happen:

-Salary cleared (probably Lehtera)
-One of Steen/Schwartz/Fabbri moved for a center

Easier said than done. That's without working a deal with New Jersey, which quite frankly is a sore spot still for St. Louis

Agreed on dumping Lehtera, I see him in Vegas. I'd also keep Perron and switch it to one of Berglund/Sobotka+Gunnarsson+pick

Schwartz-Stastny-Fabbri/Kovy
Kovy/Fabbri-Barbashev-Tarasenko
Steen-Sobotka/Berglund-Perron
Paajarvi-Sanford-Reaves
Brodziak, Agostino/Jaskin

Bouwmeester-Pietrangelo
Dunn-Parayko
Edmundson-Schmaltz
Bortuzzo

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

Thornton and Marleau are not likely to part ways. There is no evidence to support that statement. They can have all three players if they make the right moves.

Too much cap if you have all three, and Thornton and Marleau are UFAs. There is a chance that they will part ways.

 

[Mr Fahrenheit]

Too much cap if you have all three, and Thornton and Marleau are UFAs. There is a chance that they will part ways.

I would say there is no chance

 

[Pinkfloyd]

Too much cap if you have all three, and Thornton and Marleau are UFAs. There is a chance that they will part ways.

Incorrect that it'd be too much cap to have all three. Both Thornton and Marleau will probably come in around 6 and Kovalchuk at around 5. That is affordable for the Sharks with a move or two. There is a chance they part ways though but that chance is less than 1%.

 

[CrypTic]

I would say there is no chance

I'd say that there's a small chance. The Bay Area sports media are lap dogs for the teams, so my guess is we would have heard something (e.g., about how the Sharks need to move on from Thornton/Marleau) if contract talks with Thornton or Marleau had completely soured and it was likely that one (or both) were leaving the team.

 

[Muston Atthews]

Kovalchuk is a perfect fit in Toronto. Short term deal which will coincide with the raises the big 3 will get in a couple years. Leafs lack a big point shot on the PP as well as a onetimer threat which we are also lacking. Allows us to move JVR and the plethora of wing prospects we have for an upgrade at D without losing anything up front. If the price isn't too high from NJD and he's willing to sign a 2-3 year deal Leafs should be all over this

 

[Toronto makebeleifs]

There is nothing to suggest that the Sharks are doubtful to re-sign Marleau. There are multiple reasons to believe that they will. And when he and Thornton both re-sign following the expansion draft, they can make room through other means to trade for and sign Kovalchuk to the 5 mil cap hit that he is rumored to be seeking.

Also, a Thornton-Kovalchuk line would be the wrong way to go. Both guys need the puck to be effective at what they do. They're better off apart where they can both be the main puck-handler on a line. Hertl-Thornton-Pavelski and Marleau-Couture-Kovalchuk would be a ridiculous top two lines.

Of course it's all baseless speculation, but at this point kovy has had his wheels slowed a bit. Him and Thornton would work because they're both big bodies that can work a possesion/ cycle game at this point in their careers. Thornton still has world class vision and passing to compliment kovy' s elite offensive awareness and killer shot. If you think the sharks are going the route of 1yr renewals for marleau going forward... I mean sure... he just isn't a 6m+ player any more. 4m with bonuses ala jagr, sure. In any event, sj still makes the most sense of the aforementioned teams. Or randomly LA, because...la