A source has confirmed to NHL FanHouse that the New York Islanders have been the mystery entrant in the Ilya Kovalchuk sweepstakes since early Friday, on Day 2 of NHL free agency."This didn't just happen on Friday night. It's only getting out now," the source told FanHouse. "The Islanders didn't just jump in well after the game started. They expressed interest early Friday."
Various reports broke out late Friday night on Twitter that the Islanders are pushing hard for the superstar right wing. The theory presented is that Islanders owner Charles Wang believes Kovalchuk will not only help his hockey team win more games, but be a difference-maker in Wang gaining traction in his long pursuit of an arena development deal in Nassau County.
Darren Dreger of TSN, one of the first to break the Islanders/Kovalchuk story on Twitter, says the Islanders' offer could reach $100 million for 10 years. Islanders general manager Garth Snow confirmed to ESPN's Pierre LeBrun that his team is in discussions for Kovalchuk.
In an interview with Newsday, Snow said he only made a "preliminary call" at 9:00 pm on Friday night. This is not our information.
Now we know the Islanders are in it for real, and have been from almost the beginning.
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