Kovy Leaves as "Good Teammate"

Elliot Friedman of CBC Sports writes in his Friday blog that despite being traded to New Jersey, Ilya Kovalchuk's teammates in Atlanta have nothing but kind words for their former captain. One teammate went on record to say, "[Kovalchuk] is a good guy. Hangs out with the rest of the team, fits in." Despite some of the negative public relations winds that were created between Ilya Kovalchuk and the Thrashers organization over the past few months, Friedman believes that New Jersey provides an incredible opportunity for Kovalchuk to revive his image. In addition, if Kovalchuk accepts a role with the Devils, it would not be out of the question to see Kovalchuk's open market value rise.