St. Louis Globe-Democrat

Blues fans should breathe a collective sigh of relief that the team did not trade for Ilya Kovalchuk.

Sure, the big Russian would look good wearing the blue note because he’s a pure goal-scorer and that’s a rare commodity in the National Hockey League.

I’m glad that John Davidson didn’t get sucked in by Atlanta General Manager Don Waddell, who justifiably wanted to get as much as possible in return for the winger, who was traded Thursday to the New Jersey Devils for defenseman Johnny Oduya, forward Niclas Bergfors and head-hunting prospect Patrice Cormier, plus a No. 1 draft pick and a swap of second-rounders.

I understand the temptation. The Blues have been a disappointment this season, primarily because they can’t finish. They can’t score. Kovalchuk and his 31 goals would have provided that welcome dimension to a club desperate to get into the playoffs this season.

The question is, at what cost?

Davidson would have had to part with young players who are the future of the franchise. Many of those players are not having the type of year people expected after the exciting way the team finished the second half last season.

In short, such a deal would have probably derailed the franchise’s plan of building a perennially winning team through drafting and developing quality players and supplementing that foundation with the occasional trades and/or mid-level free-agent signings.

It was clear Kovalchuk wanted out of Atlanta, no matter how much green was dangled in front of him. Why else would he turn down offers of $101 million over 12 years and $70 million over seven years?

It’s doubtful he will get that kind of money if, as most people expect, he plays out his rental status in New Jersey and tests free agency this summer. New Jersey GM Lou Lamoriello has already said publicly that he has no interest in renegotiating Kovalchuk’s contract.

Some may wonder about Lamoriello's sanity for making this deal, but his club is a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. They have the best goalie on the planet in Marty Brodeur and the best coach in Jacques Lemaire. They have a suffocating defensive system and an array of stars such as Zach Parise and Patrick Elias to generate offense. Kovalchuk could be, to steal a line from the Blues’ marketing campaign, the final piece of the puzzle in the Devils’ quest for a Stanley Cup.

Kovalchuk also gives New Jersey a formidable scorer to take on the elite in the Eastern Conference. The Washington Capitals, best in the East, have Alexander Ovechkin. The defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins have Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

At 26, Kovalchuk has a cannon of a shot. He usually gets it on net, too, having scored 40 or more goals in each of the last five seasons. He’s scored 328 goals and 615 points in 594 career games.

Here is the big unknown: Kovalchuk has only been to the playoffs once and the Thrashers were swept in four straight games. He was a non-factor. Does the big Russian have the ability to be a dominant player when the games count like Ovechkin, Crosby, and Malkin?

That remains to be seen. In Atlanta, he was the lone superstar, similar to what Brett Hull was to the Blues. Hull was unable to carry the load by himself in the playoffs, but when he played for Dallas and Detroit, he was surrounded by great depth and talent and didn’t have to occupy the limelight by himself. He won Stanley Cups with both teams.

In New Jersey, Kovalchuk joins a roster with excellent depth. He won’t feel the pressure of having to do it all himself, which may cause him to elevate his game and become that sure-fire, clutch, difference-maker the Devils need on offense to make a serious Cup run.

At the same time, I wonder how much of a headache he’ll be to Lemaire, who preaches responsibility in the defensive zone – something Kovalchuk is not known for. But Hull was able to become a solid all-around player under Ken Hitchcock in Dallas and Scotty Bowman in Detroit, so it’s possible Kovalchuk can adapt.

If Kovalchuk does become a free agent, it will be interesting to see how many teams will be willing to give him more than the $9.5 million over 13 years the Capitals are paying Ovechkin. Many teams are cap-stretched and the wealthier teams could clear high-priced talent to make room.

If the money isn’t good enough in North America, Kovalchuk could go back to his homeland and make beaucoup bucks.

The Blues may also be intrigued to enter the Kovalchuk derby, should it materialize this summer. I have no problem with that because they wouldn’t have to abandon the blueprint they established four years ago when Dave Checketts & Company bought the team to sign him.

In that case, Kovy would look nice wearing the Blue note.

Hitch & Andy

It was no surprise that Ken Hitchcock was fired as coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets earlier this week. What’s eerie about his dismissal, however, is the circumstances mirrored those that forced Andy Murray’s exit from the Blues on Jan. 2.

Hitchcock lost the attention of the younger players, who tanked it by losing 21 of the 24 games prior to his getting the gate. This is a reflection of today’s NHL, where young players are drafted and moved up the ladder much faster than they were 10 or 20 years ago. The Blues have fast-tracked several of their young players like David Perron and Patrik Berglund because this is the era of the salary cap. That and the parity in the league has forced teams to forego the traditional development of young players, which puts the onus on the coach to make them deliver.

The Blues players say Davis Payne, 39, speaks their language better than 57-year-old Murray did. Hitchcock is 58. He experienced the same thing in Columbus. As he departed, Murray challenged the notion that he couldn’t communicate with young players or didn’t play them enough by pointing out that the Blues youngsters played a lot more this year than they played last season. Hitchcock heard the same comments as he cleaned out his desk. He, too, defended himself, saying Captain Rick Nash is positive proof that he can develop and coach young talent.

“I came here when Nasher was a young player,” Hitchcock told the Columbus Dispatch. “Now he’s one of the most complete players in the NHL. I really don’t think (the criticism) is fair. How old was Nash when I got here? He’s the same age as (Derick) Brassard and some of the other guys now.”

Like Murray, Hitchcock didn’t get caught up in the hype this season after his Blue Jackets finally made the playoffs in 2009. I remember Murray being uneasy talking about the Blues’ marketing plan and talking about how the fans really were not the “final piece of the puzzle.” Getting the Blues as a team and as individuals to build on their performance during that wonderful second-half run was part of the great unknown.

Hitchcock, too, wondered if the younger players were ready to play up to expectations. It turns out the Blues’ younger players haven’t fulfilled expectations this season. When he was asked by Columbus reporters when he knew it was going to be a tough season, Hitchcock responded, “September. I had a feeling even in the exhibition games that we had a lot of work to do.”

Since Claude Noel took over as interim coach, the Blue Jackets have won two in a row. They seem downright giddy and speak frequently about how loose the atmosphere is. We’ve heard the same comments from the Blues, about how they admire Payne’s system, how they are more at ease because the communication gap has been filled.

What’s sad is that two good coaches, two good men, won’t be around to see these franchises blossom. Both Murray and Hitchcock exited with class, saying they wished only the best for the organization. Murray wrote Payne a nice note and left it on his desk. Hitchcock spoke of how he’d be “devastated” if the Blue Jackets are not successful.

One more bit of irony: Hitchcock is being rumored around the league to be a possible candidate to come to St. Louis and coach the Blues. I find that hard to believe. If Murray was unable to complete the task, why would anyone feel a Siamese twin like Hitchcock could get the job done?

Hitchcock says he’s in no hurry to get back into coaching. He’s got two years left on his contract at $1.33 per and he says he feels a strong obligation to the late Columbus majority owner John H. McConnell to stick around and do what he can do to help the franchise.

“I’ve been involved in mid-level teams where you’re expected to take them to the highest level,” he told the Columbus Dispatch. “And here I was coming in on the ground floor to build it up. Now, I’m going to take my time.”

Turco a Blue?

I’m a big fan of Chris Mason. His heroics in goal the second half of last season might have been the greatest that Blues fans have witnessed since Mike Liut’s dominant 1980-81 season. Mason is a solid goalie and got off to a great first half for the Blues. His play and the play of backup Ty Conklin have kept the Blues in a position to be within striking distance of a playoff berth this season, although those hopes are fading.

Mason and his agent are negotiating with the Blues on a new contract. But if they can’t agree to terms, don’t be surprised if the Blues scoop up Dallas veteran Marty Turco, should he become a free agent in July. It’s only a hunch, but former Stars General Manager Doug Armstrong will run the Blues’ hockey operations when General Manager Larry Pleau steps down on July 1. Armstrong knows Turco very well.

Turco played for Red Berenson at the University of Michigan and is closing in on 500 regular season games with the Stars. He’s been up and down in recent seasons, but lately Turco seems to have re-discovered his game and some say he’s taken back the No. 1 job from Alex Auld.

He was superb Saturday night in a 4-0 victory over high-flying Phoenix, recording his 39th career shutout and 257th career victory. In his last three games, Turco has turned aside 98 of 101 shots.

In addition to facing free agency, Turco may also be facing new ownership in Dallas, where financially troubled owner Tom Hicks has hired Galatioto Sports Partner to help him find a buyer for the team. One local group in Dallas is reportedly interested, but so are three other groups in Canada.

Reports claim Hicks is more than $500 million in debt and his Texas Rangers are in the process of being sold. The NHL is reportedly monitoring reports that the Stars may have trouble meeting their payroll.

Dion delight

Now that he’s been dealt to Toronto, defenseman Dion Phaneuf is getting rave reviews for his play with the Maple Leafs this past week. Phaneuf, 24, was part of a blockbuster seven-player trade with Calgary last Sunday.

Former Leaf Bryan McCabe, who now toils for the Florida Panthers, believes Phaneuf will thrive in Toronto, the center of the hockey universe.

McCabe told the Calgary Herald. “He’s got that type of personality. He loves to be in the spotlight, the center of attention. A great player. He’s going to bring a lot to that team.”

Phaneuf apparently wore out his welcome in Calgary. Insiders say his me-first personality did not sit well with players and management and many fans on blog message boards bade him good riddance, calling him a “cancer” in the Calgary dressing room.

Legendary Hockey Night in Canada broadcaster Don Cherry is a big Phaneuf fan, but he also believes the former Norris Trophy candidate contributed to his exit from Calgary.

“You know what happened? (Phaneuf) got too big for his britches,” Cherry said during his Coach’s Corner segment on HNIC. “If he was playing out there the way he’s playing now, they wouldn’t have traded him.

“I think a slap in the face finally got to him and he grew up a little bit here in Toronto,” continued Cherry. “What happens is with young kids, they start thinking they’re rock stars.”

Around the league

Now that the Tampa Bay Lightning have been sold to Boston financier Jeffrey Vinik, talented forward Vincent Lecavalier is safe. Vinik put an end to rumors that Lecavalier was on the trading block... Nashville Coach Barry Trotz recently called out forward J.P. Dumont about playing consistently at both ends of the ice. “He’s got great hockey sense and he’s got that great ability to see the ice,” said Trotz. “But you have to play on both sides of the puck and you have to play the hard areas. I’m asking him to change a little bit.” Dumont had no comment, but Trotz wasn’t fazed. “It really doesn’t matter how he takes it,” said the coach. “I really don’t care how he takes it. It’s more than you’re going to play a certain way to be successful or…ice time is the only thing a coach has, so that’s where it starts.”…It’s hard to believe how dramatically the goal-scoring production of Blues winger Brad Boyes has fallen this season. Boyes scored 76 goals over the last two seasons in St. Louis, but this year he has just 10. He was unfairly robbed by referee Dan O’Halloran of a goal at a pivotal point in Saturday night’s 2-1 loss to Chicago when the official waved it off after losing sight of the puck. Afterward, Boyes calmly took responsibility for not living up to his reputation as a sniper this season. “It’s a fine line between winning and losing,” he said. “That one save, that one goal, that one power play or penalty kill…can make a huge difference in the game. We’re missing that right now. I don’t look further than myself. I’ve got to score some goals when we need them.”… Coach Dave Tippett of Phoenix has my vote for Coach of the Year this season. What he’s done with the Coyotes is nothing short of amazing. He’s a class guy and an outstanding coach and recently, when media types began showering him with accolades, Tippett thanked former Stars and future Blues GM Doug Armstrong for giving him a chance to become a head coach in the NHL…The Chicago Blackhawks are an outstanding team, but I don’t see them winning the Stanley Cup this season. Why? Goaltending. Cristobal Huet is their ace, but he’s shown signs of being quite ordinary lately. Antti Niemi, his backup, may end up winning the job by season’s end, but he lacks the experience to take the Hawks on a long playoff run…Just when the Detroit Red Wings were getting healthy, they lost three players in Saturday’s loss to the Kings. Tomas Holmstrom (bruised knee), Drew Miller (ankle bruise) and Patrick Eaves (ankle sprain) left the game with injuries as the Wings blew a 3-0 lead and lost to the Kings 4-3...Classy move by the Blues to hold a moment of silence for Brendan Burke, son of Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke, who was killed Friday in an automobile accident in Indiana.

Quotebook

New Jersey goaltender Brodeur compared his new teammate Kovalchuk to the Capitals’ Ovechkin, saying, “He’s up there with (Alex) Ovechkin as far as how he is able to release a shot and how hard it comes. There aren’t many guys in the league who are able to shoot it like that. That says it all, how he’s been scoring goals at a great pace since he started in this league.”

Globe-Democrat.com sports writer George Csolak can be reached at gcsolak@globe-democrat.com.

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