Mike Brophy

Veteran hockey columnist Mike Brophy writes Mondays, Wednesdays and Friday on Sportsnet.ca and appears regularly on Hockeycentral.

How much will Ilya Kovalchuk command when he hits the free-agent market next summer?

We are about to see what Ilya Kovalchuk is worth.

Not in terms of what he'd fetch on the trade market. We found that out last night - not much.

In a deal very reminiscent of the one he engineered two years ago when he sent impending unrestricted free agent Marian Hossa to the Pittsburgh Penguins, Atlanta Thrashers GM Don Waddell traded Kovalchuk to the goal-starved New Jersey Devils for two depth players, a prospect and a late first-round draft choice. The teams also swapped draft picks. Can you say rental player?

Waddell made it abundantly clear earlier in the day he had tried everything in his power to sign the Russian sniper to a contract extension but Kovalchuk turned down offers of $101 million over 12 years as well as $70 million over seven years. You'd have to think by turning down that kind of dough, this was not about money for Kovalchuk. It was about getting out of Dodge, er, Atlanta.

What was interesting was how, right out of the chute, Devils GM Lou Lamoriello made it clear he was not interested in talking about renegotiating Kovalchuk's contract. That scenario will play out down the road.

You'd have to think, given the Devils attendances woes, signing Kovalchuk will be very difficult, especially if he wants to be one of the highest-paid players in the league.

Which brings us to the meat of the issue: How much is Ilya Kovalchuk worth?

Clearly he is one of the most skilled players in the National Hockey League. Nobody can deny that. The 26-year-old speedster with one of the hardest shots in the league has scored 40 or more goals in each of the past five seasons and in 594 career games has produced 328 goals and 615 points.

Clearly offence is not the issue.

But should Kovalchuk really expect to be paid more than fellow Russian Alexander Ovechkin? Or Sidney Crosby?

Certainly not based on what he has accomplished.

Ovechkin, who is a two-time Hart Trophy winner as the NHL's most valuable player, has led the league in goals and points and is working on a contract that pays him an average of $9.54 million a year for 13 seasons. He has yet to lead his team to the Stanley Cup, but with 15 goals and 30 points in 21-career playoff games, he has certainly done his part.

Crosby, who led the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Stanley Cup last season, has also led the league in scoring once and won the Hart Trophy as MVP. He is working on a deal that pays him an average of $8.7 million a year for five seasons.

In seven seasons with Atlanta, Kovalchuk has helped the Thrashers to the playoffs just once. That year they were swept in four games during which he managed one goal and two points. Not exactly sure how a GM could justify tying up that much money in a salary-cap world for just one player who has not proven to be a winner.

Of course that could change.

By moving to the Devils, Kovalchuk moves to a situation where he doesn't have to be 'The Man'. Patrik Elias, who has won two Cups with the Devils, and Zach Parise, one of the NHL's best two-way players, are the leaders of the hockey team. And, of course, the Devils also have Martin Brodeur, arguably the best goaltender in the history of the league, so while Kovalchuk's input is important, there are others to help him carry the freight.

It is going to be interesting to see how Kovalchuk is integrated into the group. The first thought is, how will he play under defence-first coach Jacques Lemaire? A creative offensive player during his career with the Montreal Canadiens, Lemaire prefers his players to take care of business in their own end and let scoring look after itself.

Consequently, the Devils are one of the lowest scoring teams in the league. It should be noted, however, Marian Gaborik played under Lemaire in Minnesota and had no trouble finding the net. In fact, though he was injured for most of last season, Gaborik did manage 13 goals and 23 points in 17 games playing for Lemaire last season. Kovalchuk should be able to produce at a similar high rate.

Surely there will be a team willing to pay Kovalchuk big bucks next season. If not the Devils then perhaps another NHL team… or a team in the KHL. Regardless, he'll be handsomely looked after.

But until he proves he is a winner, the thought of him being paid more than Ovechkin or Crosby is ridiculous.