The Russian is Coming! The Russian Is Coming!

OK, so it's not the start of the Third World War, but it might as well be. Because as much as speculation about the Ilya Kovalchuk-LA Kings free agency negotiations have divided Kings fans ever since July 1st, there is one sure thing to come of out of all this. NOTHING in LA-LA land will be the same when it's all said and done.

This drama has played out like a Tolstoy novel, and today's latest plot twist is a rumored face-to-face meeting between Kovy and Kings GM Dean Lombardi tomorrow. The folks already on the Kovy to LA bandwagon are immediately seeing this as a sign that ink and paper will meet, and we'll finally have a deal that lands the missing piece of the Kings play-off puzzle.

Whether it happens on or not is anyones guess. And whether it happens or not, I remain unconvinced Kovy is the magic bullet to ensure the Kings success. Here are the tangible reasons.

• Even if Kovalchuk lowers his reported $10 million a year asking price, the Kings still accept responsibility for a huge contract that will be tough to move if things don't work out on the ice as neatly as everyone thinks.

• The Russian star's demands have changed little since he started talking about a contract extension with the Atlanta Thrashers, where he was team captain. Leaders that are more focused on money than the team aren't leaders to me, and everything about his guy's actions say he cares more about himself than any team he plays on.

• Yes, he scored 40 goals last year. But so did Alex Ovechkin, and the Caps got ousted in the first round of the play-offs after winning the President's Trophy. Having a 40 goal scorer does not guarantee you a Stanley Cup, folks. You need other things like goaltending, solid defense, etc. Hockey is still a TEAM sport, which is why I love it.

Then, there are the intangibles. IF we manage to land this guy, expectations will be so high no one will have any patience if he or the team don't meet them. Kings fans are already a cynical bunch in some respects, and their cynicism is probably earned after many years of watching their team get close to the big prize, then come apart at the seams. I mean, even The Great One couldn't bring us a Stanley Cup, so why should Kovy be able to do it?

What happens if this is the season he DOESN'T score 40 goals? Then we have buyers remorse, we're stuck with it, and half the fan base will be ready to crucify Dean Lombardi for pushing to make the deal they so desperately wanted in the first place. Or what if he does score 40 goals and we still don't make the play-offs? What then?

But the biggest thing that makes me want to turn away from this deal is the fact that we're having to cajole this guy to be interested. My friend Su Ring hit the nail on the head when she said Kovy is like the guy everyone wants to take to prom. He may be the hottest date around, but if you're the girl that gets to go with him, do you even have fun? My gut says no. Because it's a hollow victory to win him knowing he wouldn't commit to you until he exhausted his options with the prettier girls. You're now the one he settled for, not the one he wanted. I LOVE my TEAM, and they deserve to be treated better.

As the Russian saying goes, "The heart wants what the heart wants." And my heart wants no part of this guy breaking it into pieces. Thankfully there's a lot more to love on this Kings team already. I hope it stays that way.