This could be merely Garth Snow trying to make a statement, but wow, is it an emphatic one.
Pierre LeBrun broke the story this evening:
Isles GM Garth Snow confirms via text to ESPN.com that he's involved in Kovalchuk talks. Wow !
Wow indeed.
Darren Dreger of TSN added this nugget:
One source suggests the Isles offer to be $10 mil x 10 yrs. Yikes!
Again, yikes indeed. We'll try and keep you updated on the story as it develops/doesn't develop. From a hockey standpoint, this seems like Kovalchuk getting just what he wants out of a stagnant negotiation at this point. The Devils still need to figure how to move cap room to pay him, and the Kings have been dragging their feet. Kovy's people could be using the Islanders ... but the Islanders could be using him right back, to show they're serious about high profile free agents.