Hey, I know I said I would write about Tyler Seguin in my next entry, and I will get to him shortly... later this summer (underpromise, overdeliver). But this Ilya Kovalchuk "retirement" announcement came out of nowhere, so I have to say something about it. Should it have really been that much of a surprise, given the rumblings prior to the shortened season that he wanted to stay in Russia? Like many of the hockey experts have said, expect him to sign in Russia in a matter of days for more rubles than the entire economy of Siberia (a warm hello to my readers in Russia - Google tells me I have a few).
If Kovalchuk was a pillar of your fantasy keeper team, I feel your pain. At least he'll likely be the first overall pick in KHL drafts, if you happen to participate in one of those leagues. On the bright side, he could be back in 2 or 3 years (think Jaromir Jagr), which might make him worth keeping in leagues that have plenty of reserve slots. His departure could also make some keeper decisions easier - there's always that. But who am I kidding - this sucks, especially if you used significant dollars or a high pick in your fantasy league.
As for my friends who are Devils fans, at least you have two solid starting goalies (see my previous entry). You can expect newly signed Michael Ryder and Ryane Clowe to see a ton of minutes; in fact, we shouldn't have to wait nearly as long for Clowe to score his first goal of the season. In addition, the Devils might pursue some additional scoring with all the money they save by not paying Kovalchuk, although whatever options are left will not nearly replace Kovalchuk. A great deal of the scoring load will now fall on the now 37-year-old Patrik Elias, but at least he's signed for another three years for a number that is way more cap-friendly.
Lastly, it has to sting Devils fans to lose Zach Parise, David Clarkson, and now Kovalchuk from the team that made the Stanley Cup Final just one short year ago.
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