Debating an Alex Kovalev Return to Montreal
While you were stuck in endless traffic yesterday evening, you might've heard Pierre McGuire, during his daily chat with The Team 990's Mitch Melnick, float the idea of the Canadiens trading for Alex Kovalev in an attempt to finally fill the gaping hole on the team's second line. Regardless of your opinion of McGuire, there's no denying that when he talks, people listen because he knows what he's talking about. So let's take a look at the pros and cons of a potential return of the most polarizing player in recent Canadiens history.
Taking a look at the factors involved in actually acquiring Kovalev, it doesn't seem like it would be all that difficult to do. Considering the fact that Ottawa is making its case to take the title from Toronto as "the worst team in Ontario" and is going nowhere this year, they would surely relish the idea of trading away an underachieving impending free agent for next to nothing in return. Factor in that Kovalev is on the wrong side of 35-years-old and making $5 million, Bryan Murray would be a fool not to listen to any and all offers. After the Andrei Markov injury, the Canadiens easily have the cap space to fit Kovalev on their roster. On the surface, it appears to be a classic case of low-risk, high-reward. But that's just on the surface. Let's dig a little deeper...
The Reward
In the 2007-2008 season, the line of Kovalev, Tomas Plekanec and Andrei Kostitsyn were absolute magic together. The combination propelled Kovalev to his best season since he played with the legendary Mario Lemieux in Pittsburgh. With Plekanec being a much-improved player since that breakout year, it should be expected that re-uniting that line would result in at least as much production as it did in the past. That would leave Brian Gionta, Scott Gomez and Michael Cammalleri as the second line and despite an overall lack of size, that line has kept defenders' heads on a swivel during their brief stints together. In the end, Alex Kovalev, despite his age, has shown no considerable decline in his overall skill and is without a doubt, a more viable top six forward than Travis Moen.
The Risk
There's always the question of Alex Kovalev's heart and motivation, however. What the Canadiens have on their side is the overwhelming feeling that Kovalev has longed for the city of Montreal since he signed in Ottawa. He still makes several trips a year to the city and remains active in various charities around the area. Not long after signing in Ottawa, Kovalev said "maybe after two years I'll be back again (in Montreal). It definitely would be nice to retire here." There's the sense that Kovalev has experienced a sense of "you don't know what you've got until it's gone" since leaving.
He was an absolute rock star here and ignited the Bell Centre the way few others could, despite being an enigma for his four and a half years here. Ottawa is just a different story. I've seen games at Scotia Bank Place and a truckload of molotov cocktails couldn't ignite that crowd. Kovalev thrives on the energy in the arena which should only intensify as the season goes on and the Canadiens continue to establish themselves as an upper-echelon team in the Eastern Conference. Maybe it would take another walk around the Old Port with Bob Gainey, but I believe the club could convince Kovalev to play his heart out for a few dozen games. He is, after all, playing for a contract next season as well.
In the end, I don't think the move will happen, nor should it. He just isn't a Jacques Martin-type player. Martin has no room for one-dimensional players which is exactly what Kovalev is. The coach forces players to adapt to his system if they want a spot in his lineup. Either they adapt, the way Benoit Pouliot has, or they're jettisoned, the way Sergei Kostitsyn was. Martin has been successful thus far in getting players to buy into that system and the results have shown. If Kovalev were to be acquired, he would probably be the most stubborn yet to adapt and as the calender turns to 2011 and the games become increasingly important, every member on the roster needs to be swimming with the current. Alex Kovalev, at his core, is a salmon. As the trade deadline approaches, players will become available that fit into Martin's system a lot better than Kovalev would. A return to Montreal to help lead the team to glory would be the storybook ending for Kovalev's career with the Canadiens but it's a story that should be left as fiction.
About Will Martinez
Will Martinez runs the 'Hey, My Name is Will' blog and is a contributor for TheFranchise.ca. You can follow Will on Twitter @heymynameiswill
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