Rangers trade Kovalev
House cleaning begins as winger goes to Habs
BY ANDREW GROSS
GANNETT NEWSPAPERS
NEW YORK — Alexei Kovalev became the first to go as the Rangers finally started rebuilding for the future Tuesday night.
The mercurial Kovalev, mired in a nightmare of a season, was dealt to the Montreal Canadiens for 22-year-old prospect Josef Balej and a second-round pick in the 2004 draft (#51, Bruce Graham). Kovalev's second tenure with the Rangers ended fittingly, with him playing poorly in a 4-3 loss to the Atlanta Thrashers at Madison Square Garden.
“I wish I could have done a better job,” said the 31-year-old Kovalev, who had an assist last night and had 13 goals and 29 assists in 66 games for the Rangers. “New York is about big players and star names. This is a great opportunity to play with great names. But maybe I fit in better with young players. That's what I did in Pittsburgh.”
The Rangers reacquired Kovalev from the Penguins Feb. 10, 2003 after he initially played in New York from 1992-98, helping the Rangers win the Stanley Cup in 1994.
“It didn't work for him here this time around,” Rangers assistant general manager Don Maloney said. “That, to me, is the biggest mystery.”
Still, Maloney said this trade definitely gives the Rangers a brighter future.
He called the 6-foot-l, 191-pound Balej, who has 25 goals, 33 assists and 32 penalty minutes in 55 games for Hamilton (AHL) this season. The right-handed shooting Balej, who can play both wings, was drafted by the Canadiens in the third round of the 2000 draft.
Maloney said he had the potential to be a second-line winger in the NHL and could be called up to the Rangers by the end of this season.
Kovalev, who is earning $6.6 million this season and is headed for unrestricted free agency, probably has played his last game in a Rangers uniform as Maloney was non-committal when asked whether general manager Glen Sather might consider bringing Kovalev back again.
Martin Rucinsky, making $1.65 million and also headed for unrestricted free agency, has left the Rangers before and returned. And he could see it happening again as the trade deadline approaches next Tuesday.