Ilya Kovalchuk: Ray Shero's Next Big Catch?

It's no secret that the Pittsburgh Penguins have been dragging themselves through the months of December and January.

The offense has, at times, been pathetic at best, and the Power Play has had streaks of up to 0-for-20 during that time. Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury and the defense have also struggled with the loss of defenseman Sergei Gonchar. 

And yet, the Penguins are still only a game out of eighth place in the Eastern Conference.

But looking back on the seasons of 2006-07 and 2007-08, the Penguins really only started to play their best hockey after New Years.

Last year, GM Ray Shero shocked the hockey world by dealing RW Colby Armstrong, C Erik Christensen, C Angelo Esposito, and a 2008 First Round Draft Pick to Atlanta for RW Marian Hossa and LW Pascal Dupuis.

Hossa has since departed with a one-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings.

Should Shero, however, make another bold move like this in 2009?

Free-Agent to-be LW Ilya Kovalchuk has made his intentions clear that he does not want to remain in Atlanta after the 2008-09 season.

Now, the Penguins have a vast supply of young defensive players in the system, which would surely have be interesting to the Thrashers, who remain very young and inexperienced at the point. 

A deal to send Kovalchuk to Pittsburgh could possibly have the Penguins sending any of D Kris Letang, Alex Goligoski, Mark Eaton or Carl Sneep (currently still playing for Boston College) to the Thrashers in addition to another first round pick and possibly a winger. 

The major issue in this deal is the salary cap.

Could the Penguins keep three top-end players on the roster, when they already are paying both C Sidney Crosby and C Evgeni Malkin $8.7 million per year in addition to the salaries of several other young players? 

Kovalchuk would easily command a salary similar to what Hossa asked for last summer—in the area of $7 million per year. This is not out of the question, especially short term, but it's unlikely Shero would be able to keep as many veteran players on the roster.