All-star Atlanta Thrashers sniper Ilya Kovalchuk will be traded in the near future.
Thrashers general manager Don Waddell told Kovalchuk after Wednesday's practice that the Russian winger would be traded.
“It certainly appears to be the direction the club is moving in,” Kovalchuk's agent, Jay Grossman, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Ilya’s disappointed. But we appreciate the fact there they’ve been honest about what their plans are.”
Kovalchuk is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and contract talks have stalled as the team has dropped to 11th in the Eastern Conference standings.
Waddell is widely reported to want a big package for Kovalchuk, who has 31 goals and 58 points. He will also represent Russia in the Olympics in Vancouver.
The Journal-Constitution reports that Boston, Los Angeles, New Jersey, Philadelphia and the New York Rangers are among the teams interested in the Thasher's services.
Photo: Jean Levac/Canwest News Service
