The Los Angeles Kings are among a number of teams seriously interested in acquiring superstar Ilya Kovalchuk from the declining Atlanta Thrashers.
Contract negotiations between the Thrashers and Kovalchuk's agent, Jay Grossman, have not gone as well as Atlanta would have liked and GM Don Waddell has started putting out feelers.

TFP has learned the Kings are extremely interested in acquiring Kovalchuk, and while they aren't alone, they do have enough young assets to ship the other way.

One well placed source told TFP last night Kings GM Dean Lombardi is traveling to Atlanta to not only scout the team but presumably speak with Waddell face-to-face.

It's too early to speculate on what the Thrashers may want in return, though it is widely believed that Waddell will not grant a team permission to negotiate a long-term contract with Kovalchuk prior to completing a trade.

Kovalchuk, 26, is in the final year of his current contract and can become an unrestricted free agent July 1. While he loves playing and living in Atlanta, two separate sources told TFP last month that he is concerned with the ongoing speculation that the Thrashers franchise could be in jeopardy of moving in the coming years.

According to several published reports, the Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers are also considered top contenders for Kovalchuk.

[ From the Editor ]
The Kings might be the perfect trading partner for Atlanta. They have the young rising talent Atlanta would want, they have the cap space, and they have a marketable situation to possibly lure Kovalchuk into staying. If Lombardi's indeed in Atlanta, or going there, that shows exactly how interested the Kings truly are. It's still way too early to forecast a trade, as those talks won't really get underway until this coming week, but the Kings definitely won't be the only team in the running. -- David Pagnotta

so who's watching the kings game tonight on Comcast sportsnet at 9:30?
I predict:
Kings-4
SHARKs-0

Kings rally from 3-goal deficit for record ninth straight win



LOS ANGELES -- Dustin Brown figured the Los Angeles Kings' ninth straight victory contained everything that a moment of Hollywood hockey history deserves.

The Kings fell behind 3-0 in the first period against a longtime antagonist. After an emotional between-periods meeting, they rallied ferociously to tie it -- and after getting the go-ahead goal in the final minutes, Los Angeles hung on for a dramatic triumph.

Michal Handzus scored his second goal on a rebound with 2:21 to play, and the Kings set the franchise record for consecutive wins with a 4-3 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday.

"We didn't play a very good first, but I think it's been our attitude this year that we're never out of a game, especially with the way things are right now," said Brown, the Kings' captain. "Winning nine games in a row is obviously a franchise record, and I think what's special about it is that it's a team accomplishment. We haven't had one or two guys win these games for us."

Alexander Frolov, Handzus and Ryan Smyth scored in the second period, and Jonathan Quick made 20 saves in his NHL-leading 34th victory. The Kings surpassed the Second Six franchise's eight-game winning streaks established by Wayne Gretzky's 1991-92 team and the 1972-73 squad.

Los Angeles needed just two shootout victories to establish this mark with a roster that's only now discovering what it can do. After a midseason swoon that dropped them from first place in the Western Conference to the middle of the pack, the Kings have moved back up to third with their 11th victory in 12 games.

"We have a lot of confidence right now, and we know that if we stick to our game, most nights we will be successful," said Handzus, who also had an assist to give him six points in the last two games. "We knew we didn't play well in the first period. ... We decided not to try and hit a home run. We just wanted to try and score the first goal and go from there. It's great, and a great comeback for us."

Although coach Terry Murray nearly pulled Quick after the first period, he instead shuffled his lines and stuck with his workhorse goalie following a players-only meeting. The U.S. Olympian responded with flawless work in his 12th straight appearance, moving within one win of the franchise's single-season victories record.

"It's a very satisfying win to see the players come together for each other," Murray said. "We want to build on it. We've got some big games before the Olympic break, so we want to push hard until we get there."

Henrik Zetterberg scored two goals for the Red Wings, who lost for the ninth time in 12 games while losing three players, including forward Tomas Holmstrom, to injuries. Valtteri Filppula also scored for Detroit, and Jimmy Howard made 23 saves.

"They weren't exactly the prettiest of goals, kind of fluky ones that squeaked in, but we can't sit and pout and feel sorry for ourselves," Detroit forward Todd Bertuzzi said. "We've got to get back on the horse and get a couple of wins at home. It's getting to a point where the games are numbered, so we've got to turn this thing around before the break and get some momentum going."

But with just their second loss at Staples Center since March 2003, the Red Wings are going the wrong way -- and they're losing players at an alarming rate, four games into a five-game road trip.

Holmstrom, the Swedish Olympian and sturdy presence in front of opponents' nets, injured his left leg late in the first period. Left wing Drew Miller and right wing Patrick Eaves both went to the dressing room in the third with ankle injuries.

With Detroit leading 3-1, Howard mishandled a dump-in at the side of his net, clumsily knocking the puck away from himself with nobody around him. Handzus pounced for his 14th goal.

"That's just how they play," Howard said. "They play hard and they don't give up. They play the full 60 minutes. It's tough. I take a lot of the blame for it. I didn't think I had my best outing today, and I was very disappointed with the way I played."

Smyth tied it less than two minutes later with his 18th goal, holding off two defenders with his back to the net.

Detroit failed to convert on two power-play chances in the third period, with Zetterberg and Helm hitting the posts behind Quick.

Handzus then won it after Parse hammered away at Frolov's shot from the edge of the crease. The puck slipped past Howard and set up easily for Handzus, setting off a wild celebration at Staples Center.

http://espn.go.com/nhl/powerrankings

1st in Power Rankings.

Hockey Town my ass...

NHL network carried the CBC's Hockey Night in Canada broadcast of the MTL @ DET game over the weekend. JLA was packed--with Montreal fans doing their Ole, Ole, Ole chant.

There is not a damned thing wrong with people who are bull shitters.

The future holds the possibility to be great or terrible, and since it has not yet occurred it remains simultaneously both.

There is not a damned thing wrong with people who are bull shitters.

The future holds the possibility to be great or terrible, and since it has not yet occurred it remains simultaneously both.

There is not a damned thing wrong with people who are bull shitters.

Trae Young will be a bust. Book It!