If you’re looking for betting tips in the NHL, you’ve probably kept a close eye on the Ilya Kovalchuk sweepstakes, as the Atlanta Thrashers’ winger is by far the most impressive piece of bait out there for teams looking to get some more offense for a playoff run.

Philadelphia, Boston, New Jersey, Vancouver and Los Angeles are reported to be the main anglers for Kovalchuk, a 50-goal guy who has matured over the years as the captain of the Thrashers. The Bruins are in freefall and have scored the fewest goals in the league, and maybe they could throw in a pick that they received from Toronto for Phil Kessel, as it looks to be a top-10 pick, at least. The Devils are also in need of scoring, but GM Lou Lamoriello won’t break the bank for Kovalchuk. Philadelphia may have the best set of players to offer the Thrashers, and you’d have to think Atlanta would want someone like Jeff Carter, the Flyers’ leading scorer, involved. Remember, Carter was almost moved to Toronto for Tomas Kaberle a couple of years ago.

The two Western Conference teams, the Canucks and Kings, may be the darkhorses in this race, even though the Thrashers would do better to send him out of conference. But, would the Canucks break up the potent line of Alex Burrows and the Sedin twins, Henrik and Daniel? And if that’s the case, would Kovalchuk take being relegated to the second line? The Kings have emerged, although they’re apparently going after Carolina’s Ray Whitney, who would be a more economical solution. Kovalchuk would welcome a move there as he would form a deadly duo with Anze Kopitar, and who wouldn’t want to live in Los Angeles?

NHL betting pick: I’d bet on Kovalchuk ending up in Philadelphia, but don’t be surprised if he’s a King, either.

 

Even those who are playing Super Bowl odds had to lift up their hands and pay attention when the latest NHL trade rumor came down the pipeline: Ilya Kovalchuk to Toronto?

The hockey-crazed market in Toronto is starving for a star, and the free-scoring Kovalchuk would definitely look good in the blue and white, especially with Phil Kessel on the other wing. Kessel has been struggling badly lately, but he showed glimpses of what he could do when he returned from the injury list. The Maple Leafs will have a lot of cap space at the end of the year as Vesa Toskala, Mike Van Ryn, Matt Stajan, Alex Ponikarovski and Lee Stempniak should all be done with the Leafs after this year. The problem is draft picks, since Toronto gave up their next two first-round picks, along with next year`s second-rounder, for Kessel. They`ll have to offer up a lot of players on their roster (wait for the annual Tomas Kaberle trade-clause debate); the only untouchables are probably Kessel and goalie Jonas Gustavsson. It all depends on Kovalchuk, and how badly he wants to win, and how soon.

It`s probably not going to happen, but it`s just one of many rumors involving Kovalchuk as we head towards the trade deadline. I wouldn`t take the US sportsbook odds (US sportbook reviews) on it, but it`s fun to dream. 

NFL betting players watched their trade deadline come and go a long time ago, while NHL betting players still have a couple of months. The main name that will keep popping up is Ilya Kovalchuk, and here’s why.

Kovalchuk has averaged just over 42 goals over his seven NHL seasons in Atlanta, and he’s on pace to notch 47 this season. It’s not a matter of money as Atlanta is willing to pay anything to keep their star, but he’s only played in four playoff games with the Thrashers, and it’s not likely that he’ll reach the postseason with them this year. This is why Atlanta needs to trade him and get a return for him, and if they play their cards right, they can get a pile of prospects. Toronto gave up draft picks in the first round of the NHL draft, plus next year’s first-round pick, for Phil Kessel to acquire the winger from Boston. With that kind of precedent, there’s no telling how much Atlanta can get for a proven goal-scorer like Kovalchuk. He doesn’t do much else besides score, but he’s become more of a leader as he’s gotten older, and a great Olympic tournament with Russia could boost his value even higher. Look for US sportsbook odds (US sportsbook reviews) on where he’ll land.

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}

San Jose Sharks fans are undoubtedly excited after the acquisition of sniper Dany Heatley, but they might want to exercise some caution—the Sharks could be falling into the same trap Ottawa has suffered through over the past few seasons.

Undoubtedly, Heatley brings a legitimate superstar scorer to the lineup. Heatley has four 40-plus gaol seasons over his career, two 50-goal campaigns, and netted another 39 last year. But it hasn't been all fun and games for the winger and his former club, or he wouldn't have been shipped in the first place.

Many observers have deemed San Jose the winner of this deal, but is the team truly better off for it? Three good, young regulars—defenseman Christian Ehrhoff, winger Milan Michalek and winger Jon Cheechoo—were moved in the process. Ehrhoff, 27, is coming off a 42-point campaign; Michalek, 24, has score 91 goals in his first three NHL seasons;  and Cheechoo, 29, is just a few seasons removed from a 56-goal year (although his production has admittedly tallied off since then and he truly struggled last season).

That's a lot of talent to surrender in one deal. Obviously the Sharks are banking on Heatley to put them over the top after several crushing playoff defeats over the past few years, but they're risking becoming the Senators West. The Joe Thornton-Dany Heatley-Devin Setoguchi line has potential to be special—perhaps as special as the Daniel Alfredsson-Dany Heatley-Jason Spezza line that never got it done in Ottawa. The Senators were a one-line team and there simply wasn't enough talent to carry the club to the Promised Land after that dynamic trio. What's different about San Jose's situation?

The Senators, on the other hand, suddenly looks deep at forward. Alfredsson, Spezza, Alex Kovalev, Michalek, Cheechoo, Mike Fisher and Nike Foligno form a respectable core. If new netminder Pascal Leclaire plays well and the blueline holds up, we might be seeing Northbet.com postseason wagering games in Ottawa this season.

Often, the team that wins a trade in sports is the one acquiring the best player. That's obviously San Jose in this case, but Sharks fans should be a little nervous that there's plenty of evidence suggesting Ottawa is going to come out on top of this deal.

“Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.”

That’s the famous line uttered by Al Pacino as Michael Corleone in The Godfather, Part IIII. It’s an underrated flick – it got a Best Picture nomination, for crying out loud – but that’s not important right now.

Interestingly enough, Dany Heatley’s situation is the opposite of Michael’s Corleone’s: ” Just when I thought I was in, they pull me back out.” Just when it seemed certain Heatley would have to report to Senators training camp, likely with the “A” missing from his sweater, we have an noteworthy development from one of his desired trade destinations.

In a deal that seems lopsided against them at first glance, the San Jose Sharks shipped defensemen Christian Ehrhoff and Brad Lukowich to Vancouver for prospects today. Most significant about the deal is that it clears a solid chunk of cap space for the Sharks. Why would the Sharks move Ehrhoff, one of their top four blueliners, just before the season starts? There are hardly any big free-agent fish out their left to sign, unless you count Mats Sundin.

My thinking; the Sharks are prepping to make a major play for Dany Heatley. The rumored building block is already in place; Patrick Marleau is an attractive target for any team, not just because of his skill but also because he’s an unrestricted free agent next summer. If he moves his no-trade clause, he’s a logical piece to move for Heatley. The Sharks could then fill their blueline void by, say, asking for Filip Kuba for Jonathan Cheechoo.

There you have it; Heatley and Kuba to San Jose for Marleau and Cheechoo. Don’t be surprised if it happens. Something has to explain San Jose’s actions at this bizarre juncture of the offseason.