Ilya Kovalchuk, the biggest prize available before the March 3 NHL trade deadline, was acquired by the Devils from the Atlanta Thrashers on Thursday. Kovalchuk, a star wing for the Russian national team and the top scorer in Thrashers history, was dealt by Atlanta General Manager Don Waddell after Kovalchuk turned down a 12-year, $101 million contract, Waddell said. Waddell said Kovalchuk was seeking a deal worth in excess of $11 million a year. Kovalchuk and defenseman Anssi Salmela went to New Jersey in exchange for defenseman Johnny Oduya, a Swedish Olympian; the rookie forward Niclas Bergfors; the Devils' first-round pick in the 2010 entry draft; and the prospect Patrice Cormier, who last week was suspended for the balance of the season by the Quebec junior league for seriously injuring an opponent with a deliberate elbow to the mouth. Kovalchuk, who will become a free agent July 1, is seen as a rental. Lou Lamoriello, the Devils' general manager, seldom acquires such players. With the Devils second in the Eastern Conference but having won only 7 of their last 17 games, the price for Kovalchuk seemed right. Waddell said the teams started discussing a trade on Monday and that it came together quickly. 'Lou's a very determined person,' Waddell said of Lamoriello. 'He knows what he wants, and he knows what he can give up.' In eight seasons, Kovalchuk, 26, has 328 goals and 287 assists for 615 points in 594 NHL games. He was the No. 1 pick over all in the 2001 draft. 