Is Kovalchuk asking too much?

With Ilya Kovalchuk holding up what many hope will be a flurry of movement in the offseason, it’s become apparent that perhaps the prize catch of the summer isn’t as widely sought after as many had originally expected he would be. Naturally, the main holdup with Kovalchuk is the tremendous asking price that it’s clear the Russian sniper wants. Don’t get me wrong, Kovalchuk is an incredibly talented hockey player that will certainly add a significant boost to the offense of whatever team does end up signing him. My question is, what makes a guy that has never been on a team that won even a single playoff series think he deserves to earn more money than superstars like Sidney Crosby or Alexander Ovechkin?

It’s no secret Kovy turned down some monstrous offers in Atlanta that would have paid him either $8.4 million a season over the next 12 years or a 7 year deal where he would have earned a cool $10 mil a season. Now, I don’t blame him for not accepting either of those, since the Thrashers don’t seem as if they are anywhere near being a consistent playoff team. However, reports emerged this weekend that the frontrunner for Kovalchuk’s services, the LA Kings, had pulled out of the race after having a rumored $100 million offer of their own turned down by Kovalchuk and his agent, Jay Grossman. It’s difficult to get an exact read on just what goes on in these negotiations as it’s so tough to decipher real fact from speculation in the blogosphere, so there may be more going on than simple dollars and cents, but from the sounds of it, NHL GMs have one greedy Ruskie on their hands here.

Aside from Vinny Lecavalier and his front-loaded deal, the top 3 earners in the NHL right now are Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin, all of whom are being paid $9 million for next season, with varying cap hits due to differently structured contracts. Kovalchuk apparently wants to be paid on the same level as these superstars, and while his talent is arguably in at least the same stratosphere as Sid, Geno and Ovie, despite playing more seasons than the young superstars, he doesn’t have anywhere near the same level of success in the NHL. The only award Kovalchuk’s ever won was a portion of the Rocket Richard Trophy in 2004. Put that against this trophy case: 2 Calder Trophies, 4 Lester B. Pearson/Ted Lindsay Awards, 3 Hart Trophies, 3 Rocket Richard Trophies, 1 Conn Smythe Trophy, 3 Art Ross Trophies, 2 Stanley Cup rings and 1 Olympic gold medal. It’s hardware like that that earns you the big money. Granted, Kovalchuk’s been playing with some much less helpful teammates than the Penguins and Capitals, but in my mind, I can’t see the justification in paying him Stanley Cup dollars.

I also understand that prices get inflated based on player availability and team’s needs, but with the salary cap the way it is today, Kovalchuk may be doing himself more harm than good. Chances are, some team will pony up and foot the bill for his massive contract, giving him the long-term security he apparently won’t play without. Still, the fact that he’s still not signed (at time of writing), despite the immense talent that he has to offer, just goes to show that he and his agent may have gotten a little carried away with themselves here.

That’s the View from the Cheap Seats – what do you guys think? If you were an NHL GM, would you pay Kovy’s asking price, even if it meant paying as much or more than Crosby or Ovechkin?

Thanks for reading, and, as always, you can follow me at twitter.com/editorinleaf.