- Helene Elliott of the LA Times: Ilya Kovalchuk will be meeting with executives of the Los Angeles Kings today. Twice the Kings have said they are finished negotiating with Kovalchuk, after his agent Jay Grossman, stood pat on a 10 year, $100 million contract. Despite Sportsnet’s Darren Millard saying on twitter that “Kovy-gate comes 2 an end tomorrow. Kings win the process”, Kings GM Dean Lombardi says the two sides aren’t close. The Kings have reportedly offered 12 years and $63 million, and 13 years and $84.5 million ($6.5 million cap hit). Grossman is trying to negotiate a low salary and a high signing bonus for the 2012-13 season, the current CBA expires after the 2011-12 season.
- Pierre LeBrun of ESPN:
“Ilya is coming out to LA,” Kings GM Dean Lombardi told ESPN.com Sunday night. “We’re going to meet face to face. But reports that we are announcing his signing tomorrow are utterly and completely false. We have no deal. We’re not even close. I mean, who knows, maybe we’ll get close tomorrow but we have no deal right now.”
Kovalchuk has received offers from the Kings, Devils and KHL. Late last week, several other teams proposed 1 and/or 2 year deals, but Kovalchuk is looking for a long term deal that would extend well past the end of the current CBA.
- David Pagnotta via Twitter: Simon Gagne told the RDS (French TSN) that he didn’t waive his no trade clause, the Philadelphia Flyers say he did.
- Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News: After the Sharks signed Niklas Hjarlmarsson to an offer sheet last week, the Dallas Stars may be wondering if James Neal could be next. Neal was their 3rd leading scorer (55 points) last season, the Stars are working on a tight budget.
- Stu Cowan of the Montreal Gazette: Questions still linger after Halak was traded. Should it have been Price who was moved? Why was he dealt before the draft? Some teams who would have been interested, didn’t even receive a call. Cowan thinks that the deal has Bob Gainey’s fingerprints on it, even though Pierre Gauthier made the deal.
