Ilya Kovalchuk Dealt

In a move that may leave many stunned, the Rangers today traded the Russian sniper Ilya Kovalchuk to the Calgary Flames for wingers Nathan Horton and enforcer Derek Boogaard.

Rangers GM commented about the trade

"We had asked Ilya to make the shift from his natural LW position to RW to accomodate the needs of the team. It hasn't worked out as he, or we, had hoped and Ilya requested a shift back to his more natural spot on the LW. Unfortunately we could not accomodate that request since the players that we have at both Center and Left Wing have never played the Right Wing. I suggested that Ilya grant us the time we needed to fill the RW position and to hold the fort down until we could make the necessary roster adjustments to make the move. Ilya was uncomfortable with that request so we had to make a move that best suited both Ilya Kovalchuk and the Rangers Organization. We wish Ilya all the best in Calgary"

Players intereviewed off the record were all pretty united in their thoughts, while they all acknowledge that Ilya Kovalchuk has elite level skill, it becomes a different story when talking about him as a player and teammate in terms of doing what's best for the team.

One player went so far as to call Kovalchuk a prima-donna "he's had a problem with the shift to RW from day one. He's gone out there and half-assed it the moment the move was made. To be honest, I'm surprised that this move was made at all, let alone at the quickness, the guys upstairs must have seen the same thing. There's already a feeling that something has been lifted off this team. It's interesting how these things work themselves out. Alreayd looking forward to the next game.

Harsh words for the departed.