Can The Rangers Land Ilya Kovalchuk If He Becomes Available?

Last night, both Hockeybuzz and RDS reported that the Atlanta Thrashers and Ilya Kovalchuk will be parting ways one way or another before the start of next season. Kovalchuk is slated to become an unrestricted free agent at season's end, and it is for that reason that so many rumors will be churning in the coming months. Will Thrasher's GM Don Waddell trade his superstar and receive a king's ransom in return? Or, will he lose him to free agency?

Now, both sources above must be taken with a grain of salt, especially the former, but it does give us writers something to speculate about in the cold winter months.

The Rangers, like many teams around the league, are sure to have an interest in Kovalchuk, who I consider a top-four talent, right alongside the likes of Malkin, Ovechkin, and Crosby. It is for that reason, that whichever way Kovalchuk departs from Atlanta, will cost that pursuing team dearly. It is hard to say what other teams would give up for him, but let us look at it from the New York Ranger standpoint. The organization is chock full of young talent and has one of the better farm systems in the league. The Rangers could easily trade a plethora of their prospects to get him, but unfortunately, the salary cap stands in the way as the Rangers only have under a million dollars to work with.

Should the Thrashers and Rangers deal, the Thrashers would have to take either Michal Rozsival or Wade Redden from New York, something that they may welcome if the Rangers attach the right prospects with them. You can be sure that Marc Staal will be departing as well, something the Rangers can live with, especially with the way Ilkka Heikkinen has played in his brief stint with the big club. The Rangers would also have to shed even more salary to accompany Kovalchuk , whose cap hit is $6.4 million, if they plan on re-signing him to a mega-contract in the off-season, something they absolutely have to do. They would most likely part ways with Ales Kotalik, who makes $3 million.

All in all, a trade would look something like this: Rangers trade Michal Rozsival, Ales Kotalik, Marc Staal, Ryan McDonaugh, (possibly) Derek Stepan, and a 2011 first round pick to Atlanta for Kovalchuk and Johan Hedberg (with Kari Lehtonen returning from injury, they would be more apt to trading him, and the Rangers could use a veteran backup goalie).

Now to actually signing Kovalchuk for the long term. Either way they acquire him, they will be faced with the monumental task of getting him under a contract. With the Thrashers, they could afford to give him anything he wants, it was just the matter of him actually wanting to play there. It was even speculated by some that he would become the highest paid player in the entire league, if he chooses to stay there.

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