yave1964 Posted November 15, 2019 Share Posted November 15, 2019 Ilya Kovalchuk has been a healthy scratch for the Kings, who reportedly have told him he can practice with the team but he will not be playing in games. What a freaking mess. He signed a year 18.75 million dollar deal at the age of 35 so even if they buy him out (something they are rumored to be considering) his remaining year and a half will count against the cap. On top of that he has a full no move in his deal so he can veto a trade if by some miracle the Kings do find a taker. He was supposed to bring offense to a team in desperate need, last year he only had 34 points and was dropped down to the bottom six. This year he has 9 points in 17 games, good for third among all King Forwards in spite of playing only 15 minutes a night, usually on the third line and seldom sniffing the power play since early in theseason. The coach and GM are saying all the right things about how hard he works, but he ists at home collecting his paycheck after practice. Tough situation all around. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TropicalFruitGirl26 Posted November 15, 2019 Share Posted November 15, 2019 Wow. I'm no GM, but really, for what they are paying the guy, and for how the team is performing even with him scratched, just leave him in there! Ride out whatever is left on the contract, give him top six minutes (yes, normally you don't do that for an unproductive player, but who the hell is really producing on the Kings not named Kopitar on the forward ranks anyway??), and just see where this takes the team.... likely lottery bound. Sure, it IS a mess...one of the Kings' own creation of course.... but why create a bigger one by buying him out and have a lingering cap hit years after the fact. If LA happens to have some young guys really step up, then give THEM more ice time, put Kovalchuk in the press box on occasion if his spot is needed to give young players a promotion, maybe encourage him that way to waive his NTC (as was stated, IF they can find a taker), but otherwise and under NO circumstances buy out a guy who will continue to haunt a team that is going nowhere but the cellar fast! Kovalchuk is virtually useless as a bottom sixer, especially if he isn't embracing the role. But really, he is a score or nothing guy...that's it. Kings are just stuck with him. Lesson learned on past-their-prime one dimensional players? Probably not.... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruxpin Posted November 15, 2019 Share Posted November 15, 2019 49 minutes ago, yave1964 said: Ilya Kovalchuk has been a healthy scratch for the Kings, who reportedly have told him he can practice with the team but he will not be playing in games. What a freaking mess. He signed a year 18.75 million dollar deal at the age of 35 so even if they buy him out (something they are rumored to be considering) his remaining year and a half will count against the cap. On top of that he has a full no move in his deal so he can veto a trade if by some miracle the Kings do find a taker. He was supposed to bring offense to a team in desperate need, last year he only had 34 points and was dropped down to the bottom six. This year he has 9 points in 17 games, good for third among all King Forwards in spite of playing only 15 minutes a night, usually on the third line and seldom sniffing the power play since early in theseason. The coach and GM are saying all the right things about how hard he works, but he ists at home collecting his paycheck after practice. Tough situation all around. Who'da guessed this would go poorly? The Kings deserve every bit of it for signing the jerk. One of the all-time dumbest moves by a GM. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FD19372 Posted November 15, 2019 Share Posted November 15, 2019 1 hour ago, ruxpin said: Who'da guessed this would go poorly? The Kings deserve every bit of it for signing the jerk. One of the all-time dumbest moves by a GM. When you're desperate offense, desperate measures....Lucky for them, they have a pretty darned good, stacked farm system with Turcotte, Kupari, Kaliyev and Thomas to name a few, and Cal Peterson, maybe the heir apparent to Jonathan Quick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruxpin Posted November 15, 2019 Share Posted November 15, 2019 8 hours ago, FD19372 said: When you're desperate offense, desperate measures....Lucky for them, they have a pretty darned good, stacked farm system with Turcotte, Kupari, Kaliyev and Thomas to name a few, and Cal Peterson, maybe the heir apparent to Jonathan Quick. There's desperate and there's patently idiotic and self-destructive. This was the latter. And I said it at the time. And the cap consequences are astounding. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoachX Posted November 15, 2019 Share Posted November 15, 2019 1 hour ago, ruxpin said: There's desperate and there's patently idiotic and self-destructive. This was the latter. And I said it at the time. And the cap consequences are astounding. This makes the Hayes signing look like a yard sale steal Hahaha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruxpin Posted November 15, 2019 Share Posted November 15, 2019 11 minutes ago, CoachX said: This makes the Hayes signing look like a yard sale steal Hahaha We shall see, but I would agree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J0e Th0rnton Posted November 15, 2019 Share Posted November 15, 2019 Kovalchuk still has the skill and ability to put up points on a different team. The kings suck and have sucked for several years now. Tmac isn't the guy who is going to get an offensive player rolling. Tmac is the kind of coach who divides locker rooms and pits players against each other by all accounts I have read since he left the sharks. They have already eaten his signing bonuses this year. If they eat 30-40% of his cap hit, someone will take him and if he still wants to play Hockey he will not veto a trade. His salary for his last year is 4.2m with a higher caphit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WordsOfWisdom Posted November 15, 2019 Share Posted November 15, 2019 10 hours ago, ruxpin said: There's desperate and there's patently idiotic and self-destructive. This was the latter. And I said it at the time. And the cap consequences are astounding. Ditto. Kovalchuk is one of those "toxic" players: you don't ever sign a guy with his track record, not even if you can get him for free. I was really worried the Leafs might sign him. Maybe we lucked out on the whole "won't play in Canada" thing on this one. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Podein25 Posted November 15, 2019 Share Posted November 15, 2019 52 minutes ago, WordsOfWisdom said: Kovalchuk is one of those "toxic" players You spelled Russian wrong 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruxpin Posted November 15, 2019 Share Posted November 15, 2019 2 minutes ago, Podein25 said: You spelled Russian wrong And the bastard won't buy a poppy 1 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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