Gainey asks Kovalev to stay home!!!!

Posts : 223 Join date : 2009-02-08

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/2009/02/17/kovalev_gainey_performance/

Montreal Canadiens GM Bob Gainey asked veteran Alexei Kovalev to stay home and think about things while the team embarks on a two-game road trip.

The veteran is not hurt; but Gainey feels that Kovalev cannot help the team the way he is playing right now. The 35-year-old was held pointless in the two games against Colorado and Vancouver on the weekend. In 57 games he has 13 goals and 26 assists.

Gainey has not ruled out the possibility of a trade at before the March 4 deadline. The team will remain in contact with Kovalev over the next 48 hours and it appears his fate with the organization may be decided by the next home game, Saturday afternoon against Ottawa.

The Kovalev news comes on the heels of a Monday trade for veteran leadership in Mathieu Schneider. Gainey indicated on Tuesday that the Canadiens had been pursuing the Thrashers' defenceman since November but the Vincent Lecavalier rumours got in the way of an earlier move. Gainey added that the Canadiens never contacted Tampa Bay about Lecavalier but rather it was the ownership group and Bolts GM Brian Lawton who contacted Montreal and laid the framework for a trade, asking specifically for Chris Higgins, Tomas Plekanec, Josh Gorges and draft picks.

Lawton stated on several occasions that he never contacted other teams about Lecavalier and that the rumours were completely fabricated.

The Canadiens will pay the next two games on the road in Washington and Pittsburgh.

Posts : 223 Join date : 2009-02-08

Wow what a difference a year makes!!!

Admin Posts : 218 Join date : 2009-02-08 Age : 45

See the problem with Alex Kovalev is no matter how bad things gets he doesn't change his tune. The guy is great when he's on his game but when he's off, he's just brutual. With special people like Alex kovalev, it's hard to change his ways. He likes to do things his way and includes carrying the puck up the ice, and controlling the play. The problem is that he's so god damn predictable that everybody in the rink and on the air can tell you what he likes to do. He works the slot, and waits for an opening to pass, or takes the shot. He never ever changes it up. Last year the powerplay had mark streit at the point and kovalev in the slot. This made things very hard for the opposition, because if you left kovalev open, it was lights out for the goaltender. Mark streit made kovalev better in that sense. Now that doesn't happen, there is nobody at the point with a great shot like they use to have. Hopefully Matt Schneider will help us out in that department but we'll see soon about that. So the opposition knows this and kovalev is smothered and can't do the work he likes and that is play with the puck. If I was kovalev, I would try to change my ways by maybe....

1. Be more aggressive and go towards the net hard.
2. Skate instead of slug up the ice
3. Quit trying that same move over and over and over again. (walking into the slot and shooting top shelf on the left side)

Maybe Kovalev is reading this right now and hopefully he is lol!

Posts : 21 Join date : 2009-02-09

Hmmm....

To me, this is no way to communicate with your " star " player !

Bob....there's got to be a better way than to tell your star player that he has to be better, play better to be with the team !

sending him home to think about things......YIKES !!

He's been in the league a " while " now......so he is and does what he does....it's like trying to change Jason Spezza's ways but after 5 years you ralize, " IT AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN " ....

so perhaps players like the 2 mentioned need new address' ......they will likely fit in better somewhere else......a more defensive style team that can afford to have " not so defensive " style minded players . In this NHL era though, 2 way players is what seems.." the only way"

JC

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