Kovalev Mentions Habs, Outrage Ensues

by DarrenM on Aug 27, 2009 6:25 PM EDT

In a classic move of outrage over nothing, certain fans and members of the media are questioning Alex Kovalev due to him dropping a few compliments about his old club.

"I was disappointed, I thought for sure I'd be staying here ... But maybe somewhere in the future I'll be back again, and get the same support."

"It definitely would be nice to retire here. But it's not for me to talk about Montreal - I'm part of another organization. I'm going to go there and do the best I can and we'll see what happens."

So, Kovalev mentions something we already knew (that he thought he would be able to resign with Montreal, but that Gainey moved ahead without him), and then, while in Montreal, mentions briefly that it would be nice to be a part of the Canadiens in the future, before reiterating that he does not want to talk any more about that because he now is an Ottawa Senator.

This does not mean that Kovalev will not work hard in Ottawa, nor does it mean that Kovalev is not pleased to be a part of the Senators organization. All this means is that the guy liked being in Montreal.

Let's change the scenario slightly - pretend that Daniel Alfredsson could not resign with the Senators, and then was forced to sign with another club. If he says, during a trip to Ottawa, that he'd love to come back at some point, would that be a bad move on his part? Hardly. Kovalev is merely showing appreciation to a city that loved him, and there's nothing wrong with that.

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I don't know...

He was definitely speaking to his audience, but it still seems like he’s here for the wrong reasons. He said “Ottawa’s the last choice for us”, for crying out loud.

If Neil had signed somewhere else this off-season, he would have said he was disappointed he couldn’t stay in Ottawa, but that he was also excited for his new opportunity. Kovalev didn’t hedge his comments that way; he just said he wanted to stay in Montreal, but basically had to move on to Ottawa.

www.silversevensens.com

by Peter Raaymakers on Aug 27, 2009 7:32 PM EDT reply actions

Comments like that make me raise an eyebrow

Kovalev already has a reputation for not being an emotional player. If his heart’s not in playing here, I can see him disappearing in the playoffs…

by Mark Parisi on Aug 28, 2009 12:08 AM EDT reply actions

actually, the “heart’s not in it” comments apply pretty much only to the regular season. If I recall correctly, dude is a beast in the playoffs.

by DarrenM on Aug 28, 2009 2:40 AM EDT up reply actions

I am so not ready to assume this team will make the playoffs.

www.silversevensens.com

by Peter Raaymakers on Aug 28, 2009 3:51 PM EDT up reply actions

Well, I am!

I have a ton of faith in Leclaire. The Sens are a different team when they have confidence in their goaltender. When Gerber was in net, they skated like they were waiting for him to let in a softie, and when he did, they deflated faster than a hot air balloon in Antarctica. When Elliot was hot and the team felt like he’d bail the out of a mistake (I love Elliot’s glove skills, by the way), they took the play to the other team.

Emery was merely above average, but the team went far with him because they played with confidence in front of him. He didn’t have to make the great stops; he just needed to make the makeable stops, and the defence would handle the rest. Our blueliners are not as good now, but I’d take Leclaire over Emery any day of the week. If the team gets confidence in him, they will be one of the top 8 seeds in the East. I have no doubt about that.

by Mark Parisi on Aug 29, 2009 2:30 AM EDT up reply actions