For the past few months, Ilya Kovalchuk has been the figurehead of the trade market. He grabbed the attention of the media and started debates all over the internet. With New Jersey ending the drama by acquiring Kovalchuk, we have to wonder where the next “sweepstaks” going to be.

While the media was busy being distracted by Kovalchuk, there were other things that happened as well. Right now, there is a player that is beginning to capture the attention of the media, and his current position could cause as big of a controversy as Kovi did.

The player is Ray Whitney and the team is the Carolina Hurricanes. Although the ‘Canes are being the ‘Canes, Whitney represents a wealth of talent on the team. He is currently third on the team in points and goals, despite being 37 years old. However, his age is what makes Carolina want to trade him. The thing that makes this interesting, is that Whitney has a no trade clause and will get to chose which city he plays in.

After this trade, Whitney is going to try to finish his career in one city. The reason that he didn’t accept the trade to the LA Kings was because they refused to sign him to a three year contract extension. That would probably be until the end of his career.

Although Carolina could sign him to a three year extension, it’s not an advisable move. With his age, he’s not going to make a meaningful impact in the long term success of the team. By the time the Hurricanes are ready to make a long playoff run, Whitney may only have one or two years left in him. Because of that, Carolina needs to trade him for a few prospects that will at the top of their game in a few years.

Right now, the team that he’s most likely to go to is the Pittsburgh Penguins who have indicated that they would sign him to the three year extension that he is looking for. Although nothing has come up yet, it’s looking like the Hurricanes will get a few prospects for Whitney, which is exactly what they’re looking for during a rebuilding phase.

As for the Penguins, they would be strengthening their first or second line offense as well as their power play. This could also help the Pens reestablish the momentum they had at the beginning of the season and make another strong playoff run.

I have heard rumors about other teams that may be interested, but I’m not sure how true they are. I’ve heard rumors about the New York Rangers, the Nashville Predators, the Phoenix Coyotes, and the Buffalo Sabres as well. All of those teams would benefit to having a strong winger like Whitney play on their team.

With that said, Whitney would be a great addition to any team and I’m surprised that more teams than the few I mentioned aren’t trying to go after him. Just about every team could use a player with his level of talent. If anything, we might have to turn our attention from the “Kovalchuk Sweepstakes” to the “Whitney Sweepstakes” which promises to be just as entertaining.

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