Now that Ilya Kovalchuk has found himself a home for the next two decades, what will the Los Angeles Kings do now?
Although it would have been nice to see Kovalchuk put on a Los Angeles Kings jersey, the world has not come to an end. In fact, Kovy not coming to the west coast can benefit the Kings in more way than one.
With the millions of dollars saved by the Kings by not signing the Russian superstar, their first order of business should be extedning the contracts of Norris Trophy finalist Drew Doughty, Jack Johnson, and Wayne Simmonds who all become RFA's next summer. Doughty will be looking for a hefty raise of AT LEAST $4 million per year. Johnson might be looking for something between $3 and $4.5 million as well, whereas Wayne Simmonds should expect something below $3 million. Kings GM Dean Lombardi might also decide he wants to bring back young goaltender Erik Ersberg, who is a UFA next summer.
Even with the young players needing contract extensions, that doesnt play in until next summer, therefore the Kings can still make a push at some offensive fire power via trading or the free agency market.
Shall ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Vince Richards
With No Kovy, What’s Next for the L.A. Kings?
July 19th, 2010 by Vince Richards Leave a reply »
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