The Senators tried to be a player in the Ilya Kovalchuk sweepstakes before he was dealt to New Jersey, but couldn’t meet the asking price.
Sources confirmed Thursday that Senators GM Bryan Murray made a pitch to Don Waddell for the superstar winger, but the Thrashers weren’t willing to take winger Jonathan Cheechoo’s $3-million US cap hit and wanted a lot more than what Ottawa was offering.
It’s believed Murray may have dangled defenceman Brian Lee as part of a package, but the Thrashers wanted players who were going to make an immediate impact.
