Kovalchuk to be traded tonight, but not to the Flyers

The Ilya Kovalchuk Sweepstakes could be close to wrapping up, and it doesn’t appear to include the Flyers.

Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren spoke to Atlanta GM Don Waddell on Thursday afternoon and said he believes Waddell has a deal in place and is still working out the details.

“I think he’d kind of like to get this done quick,” Holmgren told CSNPhilly.com. “I still think he has a few teams there … I’m thinking right now he might already have a deal in place here, by the sound of it. It’s not with us.”

Holmgren said Waddell was catching a plane and planning to meet with Thrashers’ ownership. That’s either a sign a deal is almost done or that no deal matches the Thrashers’ needs. Holmgren thinks it’s the former.

Waddell released a statement saying he had done all he could to re-sign Kovalchuk and had even offered him the second largest contract in NHL history – $101 million over 12 years.

“Our goal from the start of this negotiating process was to sign Ilya Kovalchuk to a long-term contract,” Waddell said in the statement. “During the process, Kovy affirmed his desire to be a Thrasher for life.

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