NHL

Ilya Kovalchuk.

THE CANADIAN PRESS

Atlanta Thrashers general manager Don Waddell noticed a trend as he sorted through his email inbox a day after trading his franchise's greatest star. Of the 30 messages he received from fans, only three were negative, with everyone else offering grudging acceptance of the deal that had rocked the NHL.

Airwaves and websites were ablaze with debate Friday as Ilya Kovalchuk, the all-time scoring leader in Atlanta, settled into a new life with a new team. The 26-year-old was sent to the New Jersey Devils Thursday night after rejecting what amounted to a lifetime contract worth more than US$100 million with the Thrashers.

"When we put out the figures of over $100 million, it's just a number people can't grasp," Waddell said. "For any of us who go to work every day, it's hard to wrap your arms around those kinds of dollars."

Without a new contract, Kovalchuk had to be moved. He was set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, and after sorting through expressions of interest from up to nine teams, Waddell decided to execute a five-player deal with the Devils.

In exchange for Kovalchuk and defenceman Anssi Samlema, Atlanta received defenceman Johnny Oduya, forward Niclas Bergfors, suspended junior prospect Patrice Cormier and a first-round draft pick. Waddell said it was the best available deal.

"We did our homework," he said late Friday afternoon. "There might have been a better player, but what teams were trying to do was unload some bad contracts along with that, so it was, 'you want this player, you've got to take these two guys."'

He insisted the Thrashers will remain in the post-season picture even without Kovalchuk, who led the team with 31 goals before the trade. Kovalchuk, who was also the captain, has scored more than 40 goals in each of the past five seasons and owns several categories in the team's record book.

Atlanta held 11th place in the Eastern Conference standings heading into play Friday night, three points adrift of the Tampa Bay Lightning and the eighth and final post-season berth. The Thrashers have made the playoffs only once in their 10-year history, swept in the first round by the New York Rangers three years ago.

"We've got 22 guys in that locker room who are proud athletes who want to prove everybody wrong," Waddell said. "We've always been, pretty much, a one-person team, and now we have an opportunity for our other players to step up."

Kovalchuk's departure left the team without a 20-goal scorer on the roster, meaning forwards Maxim Afinogenov and Rich Peverley entered the weekend as 17-goal standard-bearers. Bergfors, one of the players headed to Atlanta, had 13 goals.

It was not the first time a star player left the city before his prime, with fans having already endured the premature departures of Dany Heatley and Marian Hossa, to name two. Waddell reached out to frustrated fans as news of the deal broke this week, writing in an email that he had offered Kovalchuk "several lucrative packages in an effort to meet his financial objectives."

And the numbers are staggering. Kovalchuk was said to be seeking a contract worth more than $11-million a season for the next decade, placing him at the limit allowed under the collective bargaining agreement.

Waddell's last offer was worth $101 million over 12 years.

"We made him several offers of all different lengths," Waddell said. "When we made our 12-year deal of $100-million-plus, we felt that would retire him as a player and put enough money in his pocket. We've paid him $47-million to date, so that would have paid him about $148 million over his career -- and we hoped that would satisfy everybody's needs."

New Jersey general manager Lou Lamoriello did his best to avoid all contract-related questions as he made the media rounds. More than once, he spoke of avoiding distractions, and of giving both the team and the player time to learn about each other before entering any long-term contract discussions.

"Right now, we're not even thinking of anything other than getting him in here, getting him used to the environment, getting him to see what we're all about," Lamoriello told the FAN 590 radio station in Toronto. "The last thing in our mind is anything other than that."

Waddell refused to guess where Kovalchuk might land his coveted long-term deal.

"I've no idea," he said. "Obviously, if he doesn't re-sign with the team he is with, I have no idea what will happen July 1."