The twists and turns of NHL free agency are a wicked and creative soap opera on their own, but it’s interesting to hear from players what might’ve been had things shaken out differently. For instance, take the case of new Devils defenseman Anton Volchenkov. Believe it or not, the Devils weren’t his first choice this offseason as Rich Chere of the Newark Star-Ledger tells us.
The hard-hitting defenseman, signed as an unrestricted free agent July 1, would have preferred to stay with the Ottawa Senators.
“I would have liked to stay in Ottawa. My next choice was to find a good place for me,” Volchenkov said today as he visited the Prudential Center.
So why didn’t he re-sign with the Senators?
“They made me an offer, not good enough,” Volchenkov said. “That’s why I didn’t sign with Ottawa.”
Struggling just a bit with his English, he said he had offers from a couple of different teams.
“This is a really good defensive team,” he said. “They always play in the playoffs. They always play hard. They’re a very exciting team.”
He said he hopes Ilya Kovalchuk signs with the Devils, but hasn’t tried to influence the left winger.
“It’s (been) interesting. I’d be happy if he signed here,” Volchenkov said. “He’s a good player. It’s not my decision. It’s a decision for him.”