"Plan the parade!"
That was my reaction, as a New Jersey Devils fan, to the Ilya Kovalchuk Trade on Feb. 4, 2010 (according to Leahy). I remember driving around suburban Virginia with Lady Wysh when the deal was announced, my head asking "how?" and my mouth apparently proffering a dubious instance of swagger.
And why not, right? The Devils appeared to be a team one offensive star away from Cup contention. Kovalchuk on the second line and the power play would turn a one line team into something dangerous.
And why not, right? Despite not having a sliver of the assets other presumed suitors could throw at the Atlanta Thrashers for their free-agent-to-be, Lou Lamoriello got the deal (which included defenseman Anssi Salmela and the Thrashers' 2010 second round draft pick) done for defenseman Johnny Oduya, rookie forward Niclas Bergfors, then-suspended prospect Patrice Cormier and a 2010 first-round pick and 2010 second-round draft pick.
Any why not, right? Outside of the Doug Gilmour trade in 1997, the Devils had never won a trade deadline "derby" for a veteran superstar. Suddenly, the homely girl was taking the high-school quarterback to the dance. It was the right time for delusions of grandeur.
Several readers have asked for my opinion on the Kovalchuk Trade, and I'll begin with a clarification: I view last year's trade and last summer's 15-year, $100 million contract saga as separate entities. One probably doesn't happen without the other, I'd imagine, but I see last winter's transaction as a move made to win the Cup in 2010 and last summer's signing as an entirely different -- and, to this date, much more divisive -- decision.
Taken as a deal for the stretch run, I'd make the Kovalchuk Trade every time.
In 27 games for the Devils, Ilya Kovalchuk scored 27 points (10 goals, 17 assists) and skated to a plus-9. He had eight points on the power play, and the team was 13-9-5 with him in the lineup.
Then the playoffs arrived ... and the wheels fell off. He was pressing, taking on three Philadelphia Flyers on his own in the offensive zone. He scored 2 goals and 4 assists in five games, but wasn't a difference-maker (despite those numbers) as the rest of the team played terribly.
Lamoriello was pushing all-in with a veteran team, going for one more Cup as the core aged another season. Kovalchuk was a bold, calculated move to solve several of its lingering problems. He didn't play poorly; the worst you could say was that he forced it in the playoffs and was average when the team needed him to be extraordinary.
Craig Custance has a good take on the Thrashers' bounty in the deal.
Here's In Lou We Trust, a Devils blog, on the trade:
While many feel that the Devils lost the trade due to Kovalchuk and the Devils' performance this season (Thanks alot, MacLame!), and the fact that the Thrashers are a playoff team and succeeding without him is what really makes everyone think the Devils lost the trade. If you ask me, it's too early to pass judgment.
What if the Devils had a competent head coach? Would Kovalchuk have put up such pathetic numbers? If 2010-11 turns out to be an outlier for Kovalchuk, people might change their opinions on the trade. Also, many people have a tendency to forget about the Devils using the Thrashers' 2nd rounder to draft Jon Merrill, who could potentially be a solid NHL defenseman.
With that being said, the Thrashers were able to turn a 50 goal scorer into an all-star defenseman (Byfuglien), a talented but somewhat enigmatic winger (Bergfors), some role players (Sopel, Oduya, Cormier) and a promising prospect of their own (Aliu) and could be going to the Playoffs for the first time in three years. Personally, I feel it's too early to say who won the trade because of the circumstances involving Kovalchuk's numbers. I'd wait one more year to see if Kovalchuk continues his mediocrity, or if he regresses to the mean before claiming the Thrashers won the trade.
I, too, believe that despite this minus-27 nightmare-of-a-season, Kovalchuk might thrive next year without the team plummeting down the standings for two months; with a better fit behind the bench and without the weight of the first year of that infamous contract crushing him. Of course, all that unfettered optimism will end up in a Jersey landfill if a commitment to Kovalchuk means the end of Zach Parise as a Devil, even indirectly.
But like I said: That 15-year marriage is a different anniversary. Taken on its own, renting Ilya Kovalchuk one year ago shouldn't give Lou Lamoriello a moment of regret.