Retrospective on Kovalchuk to Devils Trade

The Ilya Kovalchuk saga came to an end last week as the New Jersey Devils were ousted by the 7th seeded Philadelphia Flyers in the 1st round. The "Kovalchuk Question" (will he stay or will he go?) was one of the main story lines for the Thrashers. To quickly recap that drama: The Thrashers asked Ilya's opinion on UFAs and he actively courted players who signed here. It appeared he was going to extend his contract after the team got off to a hot start. But Grossman asked for a cap max contract and the Thrashers were unwilling to that high, but offered several different attractive offers. Ultimately he was traded for Bergfors, Oduya, Cormier and a 1st round pick. The Thrashers had essentially the same winning percentage after Kovalchuk left and hung around the playoff race until being eliminated in the final two weeks of the season. The Devils saw their win percentage decline with Kovalchuk and they one just game against the Flyers despite being heavy favorites. So what ...