Blog Watch: Quick Hits As We Head Toward the Weekend

Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to another edition of Blog Watch: Quick Hits.

Obviously, this week has been all about the New Jersey Devils signing Illya Kovalchuk to a 17-year deal, only to have that deal rejected by the NHL. Let’s see what the hockey blogs are saying about that and other topics in our favorite sport:

Puck Daddy: Greg Wyshynski tells us that Devils’ General Manager Lou Lamoriello is defending the Kovalchuk contract.

Puck Update – The Hockey Blog: Steven Ovadia tells us how the Devils and Tampa Bay Lightning used Kovalchuk and Simon Gagne, respectively, to show other clubs in the NHL different ways to approach the salary cap.

NewYorkRangers.com: Glen Sather tells Rangers’ web beat writer Jim Cerny that the team’s goal is to have success by developing their own players and nserting them into the lineup. As a Rangers’ fan, I’m still waiting for that to happen.

The Puck stops Here (via Kukla’s Korner): The Puck Stops here gives his take on how the Atlanta Thrashers decided not to re-sign Clarke MacArthur after he was awarded a $2.4 million contract.

The Strangest One of All: Scotty Wazz looks at the team identity of the Grand Rapids Griffins. 

From the Rink: Mike Chen says that few NHL stars play past 40 years of age and backs it up.

Michelle Kenneth’s Hockey and Musings: Terrific hockey blogger Michelle Kenneth, who has been all over the Kovalchuk situation from the very beginning, says the league caught the Devils by surprise when they rejected Kovalchuk’s contract.

Hockey or Die: Scott Lewis says that MacArthur’s recent arbritration ruling may make other NHL GM’s think about their upcoming arbitrations.

Edmonton Journal: The gentleman featured in this article has one heck of a collection of hockey cards and photos. In fact, it’s a world record.

EJ Hradek: One of my favorite hockey writers/analysts/idols is now in full swing on Twitter. Do yourself a favor and follow him!