Will Kovalchuk be on the Move?

"See the stone set in your eyes,
See the thorn twist in your side,
I wait for you.
Sleight of hand and twist of fate,
On a bed of nails she makes me wait.
And I wait, without you.
With or without you.
With or without you."

- With or Without You, U2

Will he stay or will he go? That's the question that will follow Atlanta Thrashers General Manager Don Waddelll and Team Captain Ilya Kovalchuk until either a contract is signed or a trade is made.

If I'm Don Waddell, it boils down to this. If I can't sign Kovalchuk (and I won't get into specifics about money, term, etc. It's really impossible for an outsider to speculate on the role ownership is playing in this situation, the money and term Kovalchuk wants, etc.), but I am more than 50% sure my team will make the playoffs, I'm keeping him. For a lowly hockey market like Atlanta, making the playoffs is of the utmost importance.

But, if I think there is a better than 50% chance my team isn't going to the playoffs, I'm movin 'em. While more times than not moving a top-end star like Kovalchuk will fail to get a return that can equate with what Kovalchuk brings to the table (just ask Waddell about the Colby Armstrong, Erik Christensen, Angelo Esposito, and a 1st round pick (Daultan Leveille) for Marian Hossa trade...), the risk of losing a top-10 NHL caliber player for nothing is enormous, and certainly a risky road to take.

With teams like Chicago, Boston, and Los Angeles - teams loaded with young talent - interested, moving Kovalchuk could land the Thrashers a nice return. If Waddell is playing his cards right, he's peddaling Kovalchuk right now while also trying to work out a contract. The sooner he starts listening to offers, the higher a price he can work towards.

This much is clear - the Kovalchuk situation is unique. Obviously if a team like the Hawks or Bruins picked up Kovalchuk, the league's power structure would be altered. But there's also the question of what happens if he doesn't sign an NHL contract before July 1st.

How much would he get in free agency? Could he get upwards of $15-20 million a season in the KHL, as has been speculated?

The Kovalchuk situation could be a game-changer. Not just for the Thrashers and this year's contenders, but for the hockey world as a whole.