Philadelphia Flyers: Should They Make A Move For Ilya Kovalchuk?

Mark RitterDec 20, 2009

Written By: Mark “The Hard Hitter” Ritter

Before the month began, I wrote that I felt December may very well be the difference between the Flyers making the playoffs and making reservations at the local golf courses.

Thus far, the Flyers have two measly wins in ten games and, in the process, they have gone from a top ten NHL team to 29th overall, no easy feat!

Two wins in December is discerning for any NHL club, but when you consider the amount of talent on this Flyers’ team alarm bells start going off. Many Flyers fans are concerned with more than just the two wins, it’s the way the Flyers that have been losing that has them ready to jump off local bridges.

Undisciplined, disorganized, and void of passion, the Flyers have looked both out of sync and listless. On the surface it appears as if the Flyers have lost their mojo and, in the process, lost their pride.

The compete level of many players has been sub-par and the lack of scoring has been abysmal. Through ten games in December the Flyers have been held to one or less goals six times, including two shutouts. Alarming to say the least!

Once reliable scoring threats like Jeff Carter, Mike Richards, Scott Hartnell, and James Van Riemsdyk have all struggled mightily to light the lamp this Christmas season, leading many to suspect one or more of these players may be on the block as soon as the new year rolls around.

Clearly, while not the only weakness, goaltending has been an issue for the Flyers. Ray Emery’s injury has forced back-up Brian Boucher into the starting role, a role he is clearly uncomfortable in.

Defensively the Flyers have gone from one of the fiercest in the League through October and November to one of the worst in the NHL. Collectively this bunch has lacked in the hitting department and has looked extremely disorganized in their own zone.

The Montreal Canadiens recent offer to trade Jaroslav Halak, and the Flyers subsequent rejection, leads me to believe that the Flyers are apt to wait until Ray Emery comes back to asses their goaltending. Waiver pick-up Michael Leighton was nothing more than a depth move and, considering where he came from (Carolina Hurricanes), I would be shocked if he could be of much value to the Flyers.

It would appear as if changes, if any, will come in the form of a forward or a defenseman, which should help, but may not provide the answers the Flyers need to the right this sinking ship in the long run.

The Flyers do have a number of young players that could be dangled in front of NHL teams in order to acquire a top six forward, but the Flyers have little cap room, so any trade for a proven forward would likely have to involve one of the Flyers top six forwards as well, such as, Carter, Richards, Hartnell, or perhaps Daniel Briere or the oft injured Simon Gagne.

Trading Gagne and/or Briere may be a pipe dream, especially when you consider the length of their contracts and the monies still owed to these players, which is substantial and, by all accounts, not in line with Gagne and Briere’s performance levels.

The Atlanta Thrashers are yet to get Ilya Kovalchuk’s signature on a contract extension. If the Thrashers are unable to move Kovalchuk one would have to think that the Flyers would be front and centre in trade discussions and they have the assets to make that deal.

The Thrashers cannot afford to lose Kovalchuk for nothing, so in the event they cannot sign him the Thrashers would be looking for a package of young players and a high-profile top six forward to replace Kovalchuk’s scoring.

Two players that fit the bill are Carter and Richards and while I suspect the Flyers would be hesitant to deal either player, the return would be so high that they could justify it to themselves and the fans of the orange and black.

If a deal of this magnitude was to go down I suspect the Thrashers will be looking for more than just Richards or Carter, a package that would include a number of draft picks and perhaps even one of the Flyers’ top prospects, such as Claude Giroux or Patrick Maroon or Marc-Andre Bourdon.

The price appears steep to some, but if the Flyers were able to change the culture of the team with this move it would be well worth it, not only for today, but in the future as well.

My bet is that the Flyers are not going to be able to turn things around by making a minor move. A blockbuster trade needs to be considered if the Flyers are to have any chance of making the playoffs this year. Failure to make the playoffs would be a disaster for this Flyers organization, an organization that was expected to compete for the Stanley Cup and, in some people’s minds, win it.

Is Kovalchuk on the table? Not yet, but he may very well be in the near future, as will several other notable NHL players. Needless to say, with the Flyers having so much depth and so many top prospects they will be in just about any trade rumors that come along, something which may conspire to be a distraction for this team.

At the end of the day something has to give. The Flyers have already fired John Stevens, replacing him with Peter Laviolette. Thus far, there has been no improvement from this squad and, in my opinion, things may actually be worse.

Unless the current roster is able to turn things around quickly a number of players may very well be changing addresses, something that would have been unimaginable at the beginning of the season.