Like my cohort, my stomach turned when I first learned Ilya Kovalchuk was traded to the Devils. Then it turned again … and again. In fact, I’m still feeling a little sick at the idea of Kovalchuk in New Jersey. The simple fact is the Devils went out and acquired the best offensive weapon available.
Kovalchuk not only makes New Jersey a MUCH better team, I think he makes them the Eastern Conference favorite. With the added firepower, legendary Martin Brodeur in net and the coaching of Jacques Lemaire, the Devils are now the team to beat.
Everyone is quick to point out that Kovy has virtually no postseason experience (four uneventful games). They’ll also say that he won’t fit in New Jersey’s defensive system. I say hogwash. New Jersey wouldn’t have traded for him if it didn’t believe he’d be a good fit. I think Lou Lamoriello knows what he’s doing. As for playoff experience, I’m sure a player of Kovy’s caliber on a playoff-seasoned squad is capable of performing when it matters most. He’s seen the success Malkin and, to a lesser degree, Ovechkin have had – he wants to win, too.
Keep in mind, New Jersey didn’t give up much off their current roster to get Kovalchuk. Yes, Johnny Oduya was a top-4 defenseman averaging over 21 minutes a game, but he only had 4 points this season. A healthy Paul Martin more than makes up for Oduya. Niclas Bergfors killed the Pens this year, but didn’t do much against anybody else.
Add Kovalchuk (31 goals, 58 points; both lead N.J.) to a lineup that already boasts Zach Parise, Jamie Langenbrunner, Travis Zajac and Patrick Elias (when healthy) – look out. That offense combined with the league’s best defense (only 125 goals allowed) makes for a scary combo. And he’ll also provide a big boost to the Devils’ power play.
I hope I’m wrong here, and I’m certainly not saying the Pens can’t beat the Devils in a four-game series. It’s just that the Devils added an elite offensive player to a very good defensive team that’s owned us so far this season.
Will this move give the Pens added motivation to make a splash? Not sure, but it does make Ray Whitney the hottest offensive commodity out there. And it also means a ton of teams – including all those that lost out on Kovy – will be bidding for his services. That puts Carolina in a very favorable position when it comes time to deal.
WEEKEND PREVIEW
The Pens travel to Montreal Saturday for a 2:00 game. The Habs have won two in a row, and goalie Jaroslav Halak has been on fire, stopping 90 of 94 shots in those games. The good news for the Pens is leading scorer Mike Cammalleri is out with a knee injury.
The Pens then go to Washington for a noon start Super Bowl Sunday. Let’s hope the team can make it to the game through all the snow predicted to fall on the region. The Caps are the hottest team in the league, winning 12 in a row, and quite frankly look unstoppable. They’ve outscored their opponents 58-27 during this steak and are 15-2 in 2010. Washington hosts a Kovy-less Atlanta tonight.
NOTES
- It looks as if Chris Kunitz will be back this weekend. According to the Pens’ website, Kunitz was centering the third line between Cooke and Kennedy today. Staal centered Malkin and Dupuis and Fedotenko was on the first line with Crosby and Guerin.
- In case you haven’t heard, ex-Pen Ryan Whitney will replace injured New Jersey defenseman Paul Martin on the U.S. Olympic team. Great honor for Whitney.