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Kovalev compares Subban to Leetch, says he isn’t worth the money

Montreal Canadiens v Atlanta Thrashers

ATLANTA - MARCH 6: Assistant captain and forward Alex Kovalev #27 of the Montreal Canadiens takes a breather before a faceoff during the game against the Atlanta Thrashers at Philips Arena on March 6, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia. The Thrashers beat the Canadiens 2-0. (Photo by Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images)

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By now we know P.K. Subban is a lightning rod for opinionated takes but it’s not often he’s compared to a Hall of Fame player and it’s in a negative light.

Such is the case for former Montreal Canadiens superstar Alex Kovalev.

Kovalev spoke with Phillipe Lehoux of RDS and was asked about the electrifying Habs star defenseman. SBN’s Habs Eyes On The Prize dutifully shared what the Russian had to say.

“I’m not saying he isn’t a good hockey player, but he’s not the guy,” Kovalev said. “He’s a risky defenseman, and he’s a wide open defenseman. What I’m saying is that he can give up five goals and score five goals, and the score’s still going to be zero-zero. So if for example he saves five goals and scores five goals, that’s a different style of hockey. So I always compare him with Brian Leetch, because he wants to play the same kind of style, and be more offensive. He’s not making the right decisions. He’s making the risky plays, he’s not making the right decisions sometimes. He just plays like we used to play on the street.

“Maybe because he won best defenseman of the year (Norris Trophy) that’s how they get paid these days. You know, you win best player of the year and you get a big contract right away. But for his game, I don’t know why he got so much money.”

Recall that Subban signed an eight-year, $72 million deal on Aug. 2. He also won the Norris Trophy in 2013. Also recall that Leetch was the Conn Smythe Trophy winner in 1994 with the New York Rangers (a team Kovalev played on) and went into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2009.

Basically Kovalev is saying Subban is making too much money for what he does at his position. The problem with that is there’s not much debate about him being one of the best defensemen in the league.

It’s not like Kovalev was underpaid when he was a player (he wasn’t) and it’s not as if he didn’t face a lot of questions about his work ethic (he did). Heck, the term “enigmatic Russian” may have been born from watching him play.

But hey, taking shots at Subban isn’t anything new and leave it to a guy who faced a ton of questions himself when he was in Montreal to offer up his own flammable opinion.

Follow @JoeYerdonPHT