I have done an Update to all 33 Players on Your 2010 UFA/RFA/Trade Rumor Chart-Click Here.
"Wang blew everybody out of the water," the text read early this morning.
As you all know by now the Isles have put a major offer out there for Ilya Kovalchuk. Give Charles a ton of credit here, he's still paying for Yashin, and he has a goalie, who may not play, yet his contract runs out when my small children will be in college. Still the rumored 10 years, 10per contract puts the Isles in the game.
There are people out there saying he won't play for the Islanders. That he wants to play for a winning franchise. It is my belief the Islanders are on the right track and well on their way to being a winning franchise.
There are those who say they don't sell tickets on the Island...that the fans aren't "into" it.
The fans of Long Island are among the best hockey fans I have ever encountered. The numbers that come to hockeybuzz is incredible. I was in the Coliseum a few years back when the Islanders played the Sabres in the playoffs and that is a GREAT hockey town with rabid hockey fans. They are a sleeping giant right now. In many ways I see the Islanders fans right where the Hawks fans were a few years back. A once great and prominent hockey city ready to explode with a winner.
But back to Kovalchuk....
on the Kings....
Even though many still consider the Kings the leading candidates, Kings ownership is not happy about the team getting shut out so far. Not happy at all. The LA Kings owners want to make a huge splash and they will. Word on the street is another big name player could be coming if the lose out on Ilya.
I am hearing strong rumors that Vinny Lecavalier could be destined to LA if this fails (e4).
on the Devils...
"Lou is being very crafty," a source inside informed me. Kovalchuk wouldn't mind one bit staying in NJ as well, but Lou won't go above 6, but a 2 year deal at 6, to play while Marty Brodeur is still on your team, is very possible...
On the Rangers...'
Quietly, the Rangers are still in on Kovalchuk. Don't count them out and as the day goes, things could really improve in their favor.
On the Flyers and Gagne....
Surprisingly, the Gagne stuff does not appear to be about a goalie....Not Thomas, and Not Nabokov (who I now feel is heading to Russia) I don't think it's about Kovalchuk (could always be) ...I believe, this is all about Bobby Ryan...that would be my guess.
The Flyers rarely ask players to waive NTC. This is only the second time I can remember them doing so (They asked JR to waive when they signed Forsberg). Ed Snider is old school and very loyal. He would only go to Gagne if he had something definitive that he couldn't pass up.
Here is my list of the top 28 UFAs remaining.
THE HOCKEYBUZZ CENTRAL TOP 28 UFA RANKINGS
1. Ilya Kovalchuk
2. Matthew Lombardi (signed Preds)
3. Alexandre Frolov
4. Lee Stempniak
5. Paul Kariya
6. Pavol Demitra
7. Marek Svatos
8. Jere Lehtinen
9. Alexei Ponikarovsky
10. Evgeni Nabokov
11. Marty Turco
12. Jose Theodore
13. Andy Sutton
14. Brett Lebda
15. Bill Guerin
16. Ryan Johnson
17. John Madden
18. Arron Asham
19. Joe Corvo
20. Willie Mitchell
21. Dominic Moore
22. Paul Mara
23. Kyle Wellwood
24. Evgeny Artyukhin
25. Raffi Torres
26. Ruslan Fedotenko
27. Frederik Modin
28. Owen Nolan
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