On Ilya Kovalchuk …
Darren Dreger of TSN: Ilya Kovalchuk’s agent J.P. Barry has spoken with at least eight teams so far and is expected to speak with more.
Kovalchuk can talk to teams but can’t officially sign until July 1st. It’s believed he’s looking for a two- or three-year deal around $6.25 million per, similar to Patrick Marleau’s deal with the Maple Leafs.
He retired from the NHL back in 2013 with $77 million remaining on his NHL contract with the Devils. Kovalchuk dream was to win a gold medal at the Olympics and he thought he could be better prepared if he wasn’t playing in the NHL.
Though it’s still early, reuniting with Lou Lamoriello is an intriguing possibility.
Kovalchuk’s main focus is winning and signing with a Cup contender and he’s not as concerned with which conference or where the team is located.
On the New York Islanders and John Tavares …
Chris Nichols of FRS Hockey: Bob McKenzie was on TSN 1050 and said that since the Islanders brought in Lou Lamoriello, there has been daily talks between Lamorielllo and Tavares’ agent Pat Brisson.
“If I had to guess – and right now it’s only a guess – I would say that Tavares is more likely than not to get to the free agent talking period the week before, and that’s not closing the door by any stretch of the imagination on the New York Islanders.
“And I would imagine that Lou is going to do his level best here in the ensuing weeks to find some scoring wingers that potentially would act as some sort of offering to Tavares, saying, ‘Hey look, here are some of the things we’re doing to try to make the New York Islanders better. You should stay and be a part of this.’
The Montreal Canadiens, St. Louis Blues, and San Jose Sharks will join the Islanders as teams wanting to sign Tavares.
McKenzie says that Tavares could target teams but those teams may have salary cap concerns or are deep at center already. They could get to the free agent window and “find out if there’s anything they might do to manipulate things to allow for that possibility.”