According to Steve Kouleas of The Score, the Canucks are among the front-runners in the Ilya Kovalchuk sweepstakes. Rumoured players to be traded are Jordan Schroeder and Cory Schneider.
This would be an enormous addition to the already 4th-in-scoring Canucks. We would have two absolutely deadly lines. How would this work? Well, signing Kovi to a really long-term deal (he’s 27 this year) that dollar cost averages down to $6-7 mil per year (10+ yrs) and not re-signing Demitra next year would be a start. Add in a probable increase in the salary cap and getting rid of some dead weight (Wellwood) would probably make it work somehow.
Trading away Schneider is a no-brainer. We have Louie in goal for the long-term (12 years) and there’s no chance of Schneider coming up and having a significant role. Schroeder is great and has an upside. But he’s no Stanley Cup first-line center. With Henrik signed for the long-term and Kesler and Hodgson expected to be here for a while, there is no room for Schroeder in the long-run. He also can’t finish clutch, as seen in the World Juniors. Having said that, these players would be great fits in Atlanta.
How deadly would the Canucks be with Kovi? Imagine adding a 50+ goal scorer to a team with a 40+ (Danny), 30+ (Henrik) and a ton of 20+ scorers. Unstoppable.
Chances to nab a 50+ goal scorer are extremely rare. It doesn’t happen when they’re young but only when their team sucks and they get disgruntled (Bure, Heatley). Gillis, make it happen!
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