Suppose the Thrash remain in the playoff race at the end of the Olympic break. Would it even be possible that DW would get cold feet and decide to hang onto Kovy for the playoff push, ala the Panthers and Bouwmeester? It’s going to be a PR nightmare for the team if he leaves, but I imagine it will be ten times worse if the Thrashers are in a playoff spot on the date of a trade and then end up on the outside thereafter. I can’t imagine which scenario is worse: (1) keeping Kovy, making the playoffs, and he leaves on July 1; (2) keeping Kovy, missing the playoffs, and he leaves on July 1; or (3) trading Kovy while in a playoff spot and then losing that spot. In my mind, (2) and (3) are equally horrible.

one of my favorite (of many) comeback games for the thrash this season. some sloppiness, but really solid scrambling, incredible goaltending and passion all night. a bunch of missed calls by the ref’s had me wondering how they were going to pull it off. kane answered it loud and clear (i have a sore spot for giving slater too much credit).

it oughta be noted, though, besides the absolute gift he was handed in front of emery and one sweet back check, kovalchuk was downright lousy with the puck. those no-look chip passes he tries either go into skates or get picked off, but nearly always turn into odd man rushes the other way.

a trade for a dependable shooter and passer with half his shooting ability would be an upgrade.

I’m excited about getting the chance to see Horny play Saturday. Hopefully, we can do what few teams have been able to do recently and shut him down.

Great game indeed. Not too long ago we were debating what was wrong with this team and what could be done to get some of the struggling players to start produce. You really have to hand it to the coaching staff. They have changed the lines up and really mixed things up. I have seen guys like Thorburn and Boulton out there with Kovy for a shift. Slater has been mixed in too and has been one of the best Thrashers in the last couple weeks.

As for Kovy’s contract, could they not sign him and then ultimately trade him like after the season is over? This would give Kovy his money, allow this team to concentrate on making the playoffs with no distractions and then when they did trade him he would not be a rental player so they would get as much for him as possible. I know this idea is easier said than done, but I like to think it could be worked out.

I am realizing Kovy’s departure is all but going to happen. However, as The Falconer talked about before, this may not be the worse thing to happen.

1st- I want to say how does the Philadelphia Inquirer know what is going to happen? The only sources that seem credible to me are Darren Dreger and Bob McKenzie from TSN and maybe Kevin Allen from USA Today. Lot of rumors are quoting them. Everything is speculation.until then. I realize, as do others, that the longer time passes, the likelihood that Kovalchuk will NOT sign a contract with the Thrashers is high. However, Kovalchuk, from what I hav e seen and read is different from Hossa; he is more about playing for the team during the season and does the contract stuff in the off-season when he is not playing! Also, Kovalchuk himself said that he wants to see the team to be in playoff position by he Olympic Break. Hopefully, we are heading in that direction whether we keep Kovalchuk or not. I am hoping in a wqay he keeps his word.

On the other side, I agree with Falconer and others that his defense or two way playing is terrible! But I also have heard that Gretzky and Lemieux may not have been either when they played. If Kovy is going to allow as many or more goals than he scored, then I would rather get a forward who scores 30-40 goals but plays better both ways than have Kovalchuk.

From other things I have read, Chicago, LA, and Boston were our most likely trade partners. That seems to be disappearing; Boston won’t spend that much for a rental. Chicago doesn’t need Kovy as they are great without him. GM Lombardi, from what I have read, thinks the Thrashers will want more than the Kings are willing to part with. So, I am really not sure where Kovy will go. He may stay in ATL; he maqy go to the KHL or some other team may get into the fray. For now, hopefully, Kovalchuk will continue to score and help the team get into the playoffs and go farther than before! If not, we will have to hope the Thrashers will get a good return on a trade. I think the presence of Rick Dudley has helped Waddell to make some better decisions. It seems like the owners are weilling to spend more too.