Apparently the New Jersey Devils have added a new piece to the puzzle, ESPN is reporting that the New Jersey Devils have acquired Ilya Kovalchuk for the stretch run. It would be interesting to see if Parise or Zajac get to play with the former Thrasher.
The New Jersey Devils have won the Ilya Kovalchuk sweepstakes, acquiring the superstar winger from the Atlanta Thrashers on Thursday night, a source close to the deal told ESPN.com.
The Devils have struggled of late, especially scoring goals. Veteran Devils GM Lou Lamoriello didn't hesitate, swooping in and acquiring the biggest rental player available on this year's trade market.
Kovalchuk will be an unrestricted free agent July 1 and contracts talks with the Thrashers hit a stalemate recently.
The move comes hours after Thrashers GM Don Waddell released a statement saying that contract negotiations with Kovalchuk had reached an "impasse" and that the team was exploring its options.
"Our goal from the start of this negotiating process was to sign Ilya Kovalchuk to a long-term contract," Waddell said in the statement earlier Thursday. "During the process, Kovy affirmed his desire to be a Thrasher for life. We've spent several months exploring scenarios with Kovy and his agent to reach a mutually beneficial agreement and offered many lucrative packages in an attempt to meet his financial objectives. Unfortunately, we've reached an impasse and at this point he has declined all of our proposals and we can't reasonably go any higher. [ESPN.COM]
No comments:
Post a Comment