That the Atlanta Thrashers traded Ilya Kovalchuk last Thursday surprised no one in the hockey world. That they traded him to the Devils surprised almost everyone. The Devils have never had a player like Kovalchuk. A world-class offensive talent, he doesn't fit their team identity. They are a club composed of affordable, defense-first, solid, all-around players. With an expiring contract, Kovalchuk had asked to become the game's highest-paid player, the Thrashers said. Kovalchuk was presented with a 12-year, $101 million deal that would have satisfied his demand, but it was turned down, General Manager Don Waddell said. So Kovalchuk may not be a Devil past this spring. But unless coach Jacques Lemaire locks him in a defensive straitjacket, he should give the Devils a new offensive dimension, perhaps one that could compete with the offensive pyrotechnics of Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals. Playing for Atlanta, Kovalchuk did not receive the attention from the news media that his skills merited. Since he entered the NHL in 2001, no player has scored more than his 328 goals. Kovalchuk was the face of the Thrashers, a financially shaky Sun Belt franchise, and there are concerns about how it will fare without him. He is well respected by his peers, a hero in Russia, and strong enough in character to end the highly publicized feud between Ovechkin and the Penguins' Evgeni Malkin. He is also enough of a showman to dream up their comic reconciliation at last year's All-Star Skills Competition in Montreal. The introduction of Kovalchuk into the New York news media market could alter the public perception of the Devils. They are respected, but too often an afterthought, considered a very good team, a well-run organization, but bland. As great as he has been, goalie Martin Brodeur has not filled the seats at Devils home games. Neither did Scott Stevens, one of the most feared body-checking defensemen in hockey history. The Devils have had some big-name offensive talents, though most of them did their best work elsewhere (Stephane Richer, Alexander Mogilny and Doug Gilmour come immediately to mind). But in Kovalchuk, the Devils have, at least for the time being, a 27-year-old superstar entering his prime athletic years. More productive than the Rangers' Marian Gaborik (who has a mere 235 goals since 2001), more consistent than Olli Jokinen, more established than any of the Islanders' young guns, he is instantly the best and most exciting offensive player among the three metropolitan-area teams. Kovalchuk is an exceptional one-on-one player, capable of befuddling most NHL defensemen on open ice. His hands can be magical, his shot accurate and quick. He reads defenses well and sees the whole ice. He has breakaway speed and can handle the spotlight. He may not have Ovechkin's incredible charisma and verve, but he's close. He expresses himself well in English and has a wry sense of humor. In short, Kovalchuk is the kind of player people will pay to see and talk about. And he can win games the way he did in 2008, when his overtime goal for Russia beat Canada in the world championship in Quebec City. With the Devils headed for the playoffs, Kovalchuk will have only his second opportunity to make a postseason impact, and he will be surrounded by a much better cast than he was in Atlanta. What this deal means for the Thrashers immediately depends not just on the performance of the players they acquired from the Devils, defenseman Johnny Oduya and the rookie forward Niclas Bergfors, but also on how the rest of the team responds. Making the playoffs is crucial for all teams, but perhaps more so for the Thrashers, who have averaged about 13,000 fans this season, 28th in the league, and are in financial turmoil. 'This isn't a knock on Kovy, it's a knock on all of us,' Waddell said on a conference call Thursday night. 'Kovy's been here eight years, and we still haven't won a playoff game.' Trading a marquee player does not always work. The teams that traded Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Patrick Roy, Ron Francis, Pavel Bure -- to name a few -- didn't benefit long-term from those deals. Some have criticized Waddell for not doing more to keep Kovalchuk, but, as he sees it, Kovalchuk's huge price tag gave him little choice if he wanted to keep promising youngsters like Zach Bogosian and Evander Kane and build the team. It is also possible Atlanta simply could not afford him. Compounding the chronic low attendance and lack of playoff revenue, a nasty dispute among the eight owners has spawned legal action. Forbes magazine reported the legal fees drained $10 million from the partners. His former club's future may be uncertain, but in his Devils debut Friday, Kovalchuk had two assists to help fuel a dramatic 4-3 victory against Toronto. His new club had already been galvanized. 