Kovalchuk one of several names on trade front
The swap meet in the NHL is only now starting to crank up in advance of the deadline in early March. One name being tossed about is Atlanta's Ilya Kovalchuk who recently became the fourth player to hit the 30-goal plateau this season. The Thrashers winger is reportedly coveted by the LA Kings, and as an unrestricted free agent after this season it means whoever trades for him could have the proverbial rental player on their hands.
Michael Peca never did get to win a Stanley Cup, but there’s no denying he had an excellent career.
Peca officially called it quits Tuesday at age 35; he had yet to play this year after spending the last two seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets, his third NHL team since the 2004-05 lockout.
In his prime, Peca was one of the best two-way players in the game, a two-time Frank Selke winner and a gold-medallist for Team Canada in 2002.
While the Jackets (3.16 goals against per game) continue their search for someone to replace Peca, we’re always on the hunt for betting value. Here are some of the more relevant stories coming down the NHL wire.
Emery Foam
The Blue Jackets had another rough go of it on Tuesday, losing 5-3 to the Philadelphia Flyers (-200). This was Ray Emery’s second game back between the pipes for Philly after missing over a month to abdominal surgery.
It was better than his first game, Sunday’s 5-3 defeat at the hands of the Washington Capitals (-168). But it wasn’t up to the standards that third-string goalie Michael Leighton (.921 save percentage) upheld in his 11 starts during Emery’s absence. The Flyers won eight of those starts and currently sit one point out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference at 24-21-3 (-9.96 units).
It would be folly to expect Leighton (.899 career SV%) to keep up his torrid pace. But Emery represents an immediate step down from that lofty level; the oft-troubled Ontario native has an .896 SV% in his first season back after a one-year stint in the KHL. Emery (.906 career SV%) has yet to rediscover the touch he showed in his first full season with the Ottawa Senators in 2006-07, when he led the team to the Stanley Cup finals. Philadelphia is a five-star fade prospect until he does.
Auld School
The Dallas Stars (21-17-11, -13.65 units) aren’t afraid to go with the hot hand in goal. Back-up Alex Auld has played the last two games for the Stars, and he has two wins to show for it, against the Detroit Red Wings (-113) and the Minnesota Wild (+110). Both games were at home.
According to the Associated Press, Auld will also get the start on Thursday night (10:00 p.m. ET) when Dallas hits the road to play the Vancouver Canucks (28-12-2, 3.30 units), Auld’s former employers.
Coach Marc Crawford (another ex-Canuck) decided to go with Auld after incumbent No. 1 Marty Turco (.905 SV%) lost five of his last six starts. The switch has panned out so far, but does it actually improve Dallas’ chances of winning? Four of Turco’s five losses were on the road, and Auld has a subpar .898 SV% in 17 games this year. Make sure to check the betting odds for this Western Conference battle as they become available.
Ilya Communication
Ilya Kovalchuk was the fourth player to hit the 30-goal mark this season, scoring a pair Tuesday night as the Atlanta Thrashers (22-20-4, -0.85 units) beat the Toronto Maple Leafs (+104) 4-3. But Kovalchuk’s days in the Dirty South might be numbered.
He’s one of the hottest items on the trading block, according to the NHL rumor mill, and the March 3 trade deadline is creeping up on us. His suitors include none other than the Maple Leafs, who have 10 unrestricted free agents coming off the books this spring. But a deal to a contender is more likely.
Which contender will that be? The Los Angeles Kings (27-19-3, 11.36 units) have quietly made inroads in the West, and Tuesday’s reports had GM Dean Lombardi traveling to Atlanta to have a chat with his Thrashers counterpart, Don Waddell.
The trick will be whether the Kings can ink Kovalchuk to a long-term deal – he’s also an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, and Lombardi says he doesn’t want Kovalchuk as a “rental” player. The Kings are up from 60-1 to 25-1 on the Stanley Cup futures market.
The swap meet in the NHL is only now starting to crank up in advance of the deadline in early March. One name being tossed about is Atlanta's Ilya Kovalchuk who recently became the fourth player to hit the 30-goal plateau this season. The Thrashers winger is reportedly coveted by the LA Kings, and as an unrestricted free agent after this season it means whoever trades for him could have the proverbial rental player on their hands.
Michael Peca never did get to win a Stanley Cup, but there’s no denying he had an excellent career.
Peca officially called it quits Tuesday at age 35; he had yet to play this year after spending the last two seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets, his third NHL team since the 2004-05 lockout.
In his prime, Peca was one of the best two-way players in the game, a two-time Frank Selke winner and a gold-medallist for Team Canada in 2002.
While the Jackets (3.16 goals against per game) continue their search for someone to replace Peca, we’re always on the hunt for betting value. Here are some of the more relevant stories coming down the NHL wire.
Emery Foam
The Blue Jackets had another rough go of it on Tuesday, losing 5-3 to the Philadelphia Flyers (-200). This was Ray Emery’s second game back between the pipes for Philly after missing over a month to abdominal surgery.
It was better than his first game, Sunday’s 5-3 defeat at the hands of the Washington Capitals (-168). But it wasn’t up to the standards that third-string goalie Michael Leighton (.921 save percentage) upheld in his 11 starts during Emery’s absence. The Flyers won eight of those starts and currently sit one point out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference at 24-21-3 (-9.96 units).
It would be folly to expect Leighton (.899 career SV%) to keep up his torrid pace. But Emery represents an immediate step down from that lofty level; the oft-troubled Ontario native has an .896 SV% in his first season back after a one-year stint in the KHL. Emery (.906 career SV%) has yet to rediscover the touch he showed in his first full season with the Ottawa Senators in 2006-07, when he led the team to the Stanley Cup finals. Philadelphia is a five-star fade prospect until he does.
Auld School
The Dallas Stars (21-17-11, -13.65 units) aren’t afraid to go with the hot hand in goal. Back-up Alex Auld has played the last two games for the Stars, and he has two wins to show for it, against the Detroit Red Wings (-113) and the Minnesota Wild (+110). Both games were at home.
According to the Associated Press, Auld will also get the start on Thursday night (10:00 p.m. ET) when Dallas hits the road to play the Vancouver Canucks (28-12-2, 3.30 units), Auld’s former employers.
Coach Marc Crawford (another ex-Canuck) decided to go with Auld after incumbent No. 1 Marty Turco (.905 SV%) lost five of his last six starts. The switch has panned out so far, but does it actually improve Dallas’ chances of winning? Four of Turco’s five losses were on the road, and Auld has a subpar .898 SV% in 17 games this year. Make sure to check the betting odds for this Western Conference battle as they become available.
Ilya Communication
Ilya Kovalchuk was the fourth player to hit the 30-goal mark this season, scoring a pair Tuesday night as the Atlanta Thrashers (22-20-4, -0.85 units) beat the Toronto Maple Leafs (+104) 4-3. But Kovalchuk’s days in the Dirty South might be numbered.
He’s one of the hottest items on the trading block, according to the NHL rumor mill, and the March 3 trade deadline is creeping up on us. His suitors include none other than the Maple Leafs, who have 10 unrestricted free agents coming off the books this spring. But a deal to a contender is more likely.
Which contender will that be? The Los Angeles Kings (27-19-3, 11.36 units) have quietly made inroads in the West, and Tuesday’s reports had GM Dean Lombardi traveling to Atlanta to have a chat with his Thrashers counterpart, Don Waddell.
The trick will be whether the Kings can ink Kovalchuk to a long-term deal – he’s also an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, and Lombardi says he doesn’t want Kovalchuk as a “rental” player. The Kings are up from 60-1 to 25-1 on the Stanley Cup futures market.