Advertisement

Thrashers: Ilya Kovalchuk turned down $101 million over 12 years

Share

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Atlanta Thrashers General Manager Don Waddell issued an unusually frank statement Thursday on the state of his negotiations with high-scoring left wing Ilya Kovalchuk, saying the team offered ‘more than $101 million over 12 years’ but that the talks have reached an impasse and that the Thrashers will be ‘aggressively exploring all of our options as we move forward.’

Translation: Let the bidding escalate.

What Waddell didn’t say is if he has changed his mind and will allow prospective trade partners to talk to Kovalchuk’s agent regarding his status for next season. Kovalchuk is eligible for unrestricted free agency on July 1, and any team that acquires him would want to know Kovalchuk’s interest in remaining there rather than just being a rental player.

Advertisement

The Kings remain in the hunt for Kovalchuk, a two-time 50-goal scorer.

-- Helene Elliott

Advertisement