Want your team to land Kovy? Proposals, Part I

John Buccigross | January 12, 2010

Imagine waking up tomorrow, arriving at work and having your boss tell you that you have just been traded to another corporation.

"Yeah, Bob, we really like what you've done for us here since we got going back in 1994, but you are 48 years old now, and quite frankly, your salary is getting up there from all your raises, and my boss says I need to cut costs. Company X offered us this young 25-year-old kid who makes half what you do, plus a new 50-inch LCD for, well, me. I just couldn't pass that deal up. The office saves some cabbage, and I get to watch the 'Monday Night Raw' and 'Cougar Town' in high-def. I know you've lived your whole life here in El Segundo and you have four kids ages 9 to 17, but you are on your way to the Fargo, N.D., office. Tomorrow. Buy gloves. Perhaps a scarf. Godspeed."

Now, the average worker deals with ultimatum transfers, layoffs, muuuuch lower wages and no preferred parking, so we don't need to weep for Ilya Kovalchuk as he faces the possibility of a trade in the coming weeks. Plus, if he does end up getting traded by the Atlanta Thrashers, it certainly appears it will be of his own doing. I'm sure he has been offered enough money to set himself up for life, as well as his wife, his child, future children, Corey Feldman, James Van Der Beek and a Jonas brother to be named later.

However, unrestricted free agency is a negotiated freedom of choice that players should use. Kovalchuk will be rich like Lady Gaga or the Goo Goo Dolls* no matter when or with whom he signs. This decision is unquestionably based on the pride of a salary figure, but it is also based on geography, alpha-dog status and workplace environment.

(*--Merge the two acts together and you have the Lady Goo Goo Gaga Dolls. Their concert tour would be brought to you by Google. And Baby Gap.)

1. Salary

Kovalchuk will turn 27 in April. That gives him about six years of expected high-end production during his next long-term contract. He has never been accused of being a fitness buff, and as he approaches age 35, I would be concerned about whether he could perform to his cap number. He theoretically could change habits when he senses the creeping of age. He does have a Hall of Fame, Brett Hull-like release that should ease his aging process. Therefore, Kovalchuk probably will get about a 10-year contract. A 12-year deal with 10 years at $9 million per and two years at $2 million per would leave a cap number of $7.8 million, almost $2 million less than Alex Ovechkin's $9.5 million cap hit. That still would make Kovalchuk richer than Lady Gaga or Goo Goo Dolls lead singer John Rzeznik. And Kovalchuk would come off as Mother Teresa by taking $2 million per year at ages 37 and 38 because he'd be aiding the cap number and team budget. What a guy!

2. Geography

This matters less and less to the wealthiest of players. Athletes tend not to live year-round in the community where they play unless their kids are of a certain school age. Even then, once the season is over, players split. There is a culture for the super-rich in just about every NHL city, where big houses, gated communities and private schools are similar. For the NHL middle and lower class, there is still value in embedding oneself in a community for potential postretirement income, but not for players like Kovalchuk. I don't see him autographing place mats at a Waffle House in 2025.

3. Alpha-dog status

The alpha is the dude with the highest rank in the locker room. This is more important to some players than others and is less prevalent in hockey than other sports. But if Kovalchuk were to sign with the Thrashers, he could pick his uniform number, parking spot, locker location, day-care spot for his kids and so on. Any of us would like that fringe benefit.

4. Workplace environment

For an NHL player, workplace environment is the arena experience, plus the hockey vibe resonating in that city. Let's face it, Atlanta would be at the bottom of the NHL vibe-o-meter. Empty seats, zero franchise playoff wins and a tradition that consists of Ray Ferraro on a regional cereal box and a Patrik Stefan bobblehead in the top drawer. Hard-core fans exist, but it is a small group. Kovalchuk will have his pick of multiple "hockey cities" to play in if that really matters to him. Maybe it does; maybe it doesn't. Maybe he has a contract number and city in mind. It could be Atlanta, New York or Los Angeles.

In the meantime, Thrashers GM Don Waddell is once again in the position of trading an elite player out of Atlanta. He's done it with Dany Heatley and Marian Hossa, and it now appears it is Kovalchuk's turn. All three are likely Hall of Famers. Perhaps Kovalchuk and his agents are trying to squeeze every last penny out of the Thrashers and will sign in the coming days. (The deal I proposed above is 12 years at $94 million. Maybe Kovalchuk and his people are firm on a minimum-10-year, $100 million contract of some kind. Or maybe they are asking for more from Atlanta with the complete intention of going to free agency.) But the more this situation drags out, the more likely Kovalchuk will be dealt (most likely to a playoff team).

Waddell told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Monday the following about negotiations with Kovalchuk:

"Our first priority still remains to sign him, that's clear. I probably didn't leave the door open enough at the beginning of the year because, obviously, I was hoping that this would be long done by now. We also have to protect the asset. He's an asset to our franchise. [A trade] still looms as an option, but it's not my first choice."

So although some NHL teams are undoubtedly discussing Kovalchuk proposals in their personnel meetings now, Waddell probably has yet to receive trade parameters from other teams. But that day is coming fast. The NHL trade deadline is March 3, but no transactions can be made during the two-week Olympic break, which begins Feb. 14. One would think the deal would happen before then, but Waddell could use all of his remaining time and trade Kovalchuk at the last minute, as he did with Hossa in 2007.

But Waddell may decide that dragging this thing out could hurt the team's chances at making the postseason, as it could become an emotional drain on the players. Plus, depending on the package, a Kovalchuk trade could make Atlanta better and increase its chances of making the playoffs. Remember, this franchise has yet to win a playoff game. It's difficult to persuade people to invest in season tickets until a team wins at least one playoff game.

As I've written in this space before, I think the Thrashers have a good chance to make the playoffs if they have Kovalchuk for the rest of the season or get something good in return for him. If Kovalchuk does not instantly sign a long-term deal with his new team, it could complicate things, lessen his true trade value a tad and make what I'm about to do moot. Still, contemplating trade scenarios is one of the fun things about sports. So, here is Part I of 29 Kovalchuk trade scenarios for 29 NHL teams. On Tuesday, we post Anaheim through Los Angeles; on Wednesday, we'll have Minnesota through Washington (plus the Mother of All Mailbags).