Inside Kovalchuk's value, where he will sign as free-agent star

Dmitry Chesnokov Yahoo! Sports Puck Daddy June 5, 2010

There is no name entering this summer's free agency bigger than Ilya Kovalchuk.

Come to think of it, there has not been a player entering the free agency bigger than Ilya Kovalchuk in the "new" salary cap NHL. Some arguments may be made about players like Marian Hossa or Brian Campbell. But they are just not on the same level.

A few things will come into play when Kovalchuk makes his career choice this summer: He is looking for commitment, which means there will be no 1-year deals for a chance at the Cup. He wants the team he chooses to be a contender throughout his stay there. Compensation is also very important. And the city is important -- Kovalchuk has three children.

What about the money? How could he have turned down $100 million with the Atlanta Thrashers? And how much is he looking to get?

First of all, all that talk about the KHL is just lunacy. There is no chance he is going back to Russia, regardless of how many oil dollars they try to throw at him.

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Chatting with Ilya Kovalchuk about his future with Devils, NHL

Dmitry Chesnokov Puck Daddy, Yahoo! Sports April 24, 2010

As soon as the series against the Philadelphia Flyers was over, the talk of where the New Jersey Forward Ilya Kovalchuk(notes) may end up. For Kovalchuk, the thought of signing a new contract is not the most important thing in the world right now. Ilya welcomed his third child, a son, in March. And ever since being traded from the Atlanta Thrashers, he hasn't been able to spend a lot of time with his family.

That is why the morning after losing the quarterfinal series, he was packing his bags to catch an afternoon flight to Florida. Oddly enough, he was watching the KHL finals online when SovSport's Pavel Lysenkov called him.

"Wow, Ak Bars just scored," Ilya said right after he answered his phone. "I am watching the KHL finals, rooting for Ak Bars."

Here's Pavel's chat with Kovalchuk:

Q. What can you say about New Jersey?

KOVALCHUK: We didn't get what we really wanted. And we wanted the Stanley Cup.
I am very upset right now.

Are you going to the World Championships?

We'll see. I will talk to [the coaches] about it and we will decide what we'll do. But right now I am flying to Florida where my family lives right now. At least I will see my children. They have been living away from me since the beginning of February when I was traded to New Jersey. We only spent a couple of days together since then.

Going to the World Championships this time is a huge risk because you don't have a contract. You may get injured.

No one is safe from injuries. If you keep thinking about them, you will most certainly get injured. So, I am chasing these kinds of thoughts away. It will be decided soon. But I have to talk to [the coaches].

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Volchenkov, refs are Enemies No. 1 for Philadelphia Flyers

Greg Wyshynski Puck Daddy - Yahoo! Sports

Ottawa Senators defenseman Anton Volchenkov haunted the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night to the point where you expected to see him in a boiler room wearing a ratty striped sweater with knives on his gloves. (We'd make the expected "A Nightmare on Broad Street" quip, but the game was in Ottawa.)

With the Senators leading Philly 1-0 in the second period, Volchenkov devastated Flyers forward Daniel Carcillo(notes) along the boards with a freight train hit that involved the head.

Additional Reading : http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Video-Volchenkov-refs-are-Enemies-No-1-for-Ph?urn=nhl,229896