ATLANTA — It is arguably the biggest issue in Devildom: On the eve of his homecoming, upcoming unrestricted free agent Ilya Kovalchuk told The Post yesterday that he does not intend to negotiate a new contract until after the Devils’ playoffs are complete.
“I don’t think anything is going to happen before we’re done,” Kovalchuk said. “I don’t want anything to interfere with the team. I’m still looking for my first win in the playoffs.”
Often, Devils who are not re-signed before the season ends sign elsewhere. In this case, Kovalchuk might be more likely to return to the Devils if they do not win the Stanley Cup this year, as his championship quest would continue. The Devils, however, might deem him to have not helped enough if they don’t win the Cup.
The Big Shot, acquired from the Thrashers two months ago today with Anssi Salmela for Johnny Oduya, Niclas Bergfors, a first-round draft pick and a swap of seconds, is making $7.5 million in the final year of his Atlanta contract. Turning 27 on April 15, the two-time 52-goal scorer stands to be the biggest plum of the summer’s free-agent crop.
Kovalchuk has 23 points (nine goals, 14 assists) in his 23 games with New Jersey, and has a line of 40-41-81 in 72 games combined.
He seems genuinely concerned about the reception he will get tonight (7:00, MSG Plus 2, WFAN 660 AM) in Atlanta, where he scored 328 goals and 615 points.
“I hope they’re not going to boo me,” Kovalchuk said. “They probably will.”
Some Thrashers officials took exception to Kovalchuk’s trade-day declaration that he was going to a “first-class organization,” inferring that he meant the Thrashers are not.
“To be a first-class organization, you have to win on a consistent basis — that’s the difference,” Kovalchuk said.
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There is trouble in Devils’ paradise. Captain Jamie Langenbrunner was “rested” by coach Jacques Lemaire in their 4-0 victory in Carolina on Saturday, and when he returned to practice yesterday, found himself patrolling right wing on an unfamiliar line with left wing Brian Rolston and center Rob Niedermayer. Langenbrunner vacated the locker room before the press arrived and left word through an intermediary that he didn’t want to talk.
The Devils can clinch first-round home ice with a point, or one dropped by Senators. . . . Defenseman Paul Martin was expected to join the team last night after he was excused from practice yesterday for “personal reasons.”