Its Wednesday so lets have a look at the most recent star to be traded in todays Player Spotlight . Today Hockey Observer looks at the Montreal Canadiens newest acquisition Alexei Kovalev .
|
Year |
Team |
Gp |
G |
A |
Pts |
PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2000-01 |
Pitt. |
79 |
44 |
51 |
95 |
1.2 |
|
2001-02 |
Pitt |
67 |
32 |
44 |
76 |
1.13 |
|
2002-03 |
Pitt/Nyr |
78 |
37 |
40 |
77 |
0.99 |
|
2003-04 |
Nyr-Mtl |
66 |
13 |
29 |
42 |
0.64 |
Analysis ; Kovalev is an exceptionally talented player in the mold of a russian Gil Perreault . He has a slickness , a creativity that few players can match . He boasts great quickness , balance, and vision. He also is a smart hockey player, even though at times he'll try and do too much and appear otherwise .
His career numbers have been obviously very good and he is just likely on the wrong side of his offensive peak . When he played in Pittsburgh the system suited him to a tee . He is a free lance offensive player who does not want to have to pay attention to a lot of little details. When he came to the Rangers in 2003 he was among the top 10 in league scoring .He had registered 64 points in 54 games with the Penguins . In 24 games in New York he managed only 10 goals and 3 assists . His year this year has been far below what a player of his talents should produce . Lets have a look ;
|
Month |
GP |
G |
A |
Pts |
PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Oct. |
8 |
1 |
4 |
5 |
0.63 |
|
Nov. |
16 |
3 |
12 |
15 |
0.94 |
|
Dec. |
12 |
2 |
6 |
8 |
0.67 |
|
Jan. |
17 |
4 |
4 |
8 |
0.47 |
|
Feb. |
12 |
3 |
2 |
5 |
0.42 |
A couple of things are distressing from this years numbers . First off, his monthly high for goals this year has been 4 . For a guy that has scored 44,32 , and 37 goals the last three years , thats an awfully big drop . Secondly other than November, every month has been below his career average points per game . Tough to figure when you consider his surrounding cast .
The Rangers have scored 2.61 goals per game this year and the Canadiens 2.51 . The thought that Kovalev is going to a better offensive team is a myth . What is the case though, is that he is going to a team that has high hopes of a playoff run . Sometimes that is enough to inspire a player to perform closer to his peak skill level . There is a challenge there as opposed to just going through the motions at this time of year if you're out of the playoff race (which the Rangers have been for weeks ) .If Kovalev gets revived by this challenge he could flourish for his new team .
We do not know which center he will play with, but rest assured he will be on one of the top two lines. My guess is he will open up alongside Saku Koivu and Joe Juneau . I doubt very much the coaching staff wants to break up the Ribiero / Ryder combination which has been so strong much of the year . He will also see some time as one of the points on the power play, though that has not been much of a strong suit for Alex .
The Canadiens have played 67 games which means they have 15 left . Its a pretty good bet that Kovalev should contribute at least 10 points and could hit 12-14 if he clicks with whomever they pair him with .
Finally it should be noted that Alex is likely strictly a rental as he is a free agent at years end, and will likely command a salary outside of what Montreals budget would allow .
Key;
GP= Games Played
G= Goals
A= Assists
PTS= Points
PPG = Points per Game
This page last updated ; Wednesday March 3, 2004 .