There are going to be a million different opinions weighing in on Thursday night's Ilya Kovalchuk trade. It's a big trade. Many will argue that Don Waddell did not receive enough in the deal, and I completely agree. But to see how much he actually got fleeced, you have to look a little more closely at the trade. The devil, as they say, is in the details (insert groan here).

Basically, Lou Lamoriello is a genius. Or Don Waddell isn't. Probably both. The trade:

Atlanta receives: Johnny Oduya, Niclas Bergfors, Patrice Cormier, 2010 1st-round pick, 2010 2nd-round pick

New Jersey receives: Ilya Kovalchuk, Anssi Salmela, 2010 2nd-round pick

Oduya's not a bad return. He's not a particularly good return - and is not the least bit flashy. Bergfors is a rookie, averaging half a point a game (though he's slowed down as of late). Cormier is currently banished from the QMJHL for his flying elbow attack that makes Chris Pronger look tame. Many consider him damaged goods. The 1st-round pick is probably a low one, as is the 2nd-round pick. You probably know all this.

New Jersey gets the superstar rental with noted complete lack of defensive capability. But that's okay, he's going to New Jersey. He'll probably score goals by being the only one forechecking as the other four players sit back and clear pucks out of the zone and onto his stick. The east is weak this year and Kovalchuk's offensive ability will serve the Devils quite well.

Anssi Salmela has been Thrashers property for less than a year. He was traded two days before the deadline last season to Atlanta for Niclas Havelid and Myles Stoesz. More importantly, he was dealt by New Jersey. He played 38 games for Atlanta over parts of two seasons before going right back to the team that initially found him (Salmela was undrafted). The Devils reacquired their own player.

For those wondering who the heck Myles Stoesz is, he's a 22-year old winger in the ECHL who has 8 goals and 5 assists in 117 career games. He's got a stockpile of penalty minutes, but I don't see him ever moving higher than the AHL. Niclas Havelid is now playing in Sweden. So while neither of the players in the initial Salmela trade panned out for New Jersey, the simple fact that Lamoriello got him back is amazing.

Oh, and that 2nd-round pick swap is amazing because Lamoriello actually moved up in the draft. Vintage Lamoriello. Name me one other GM who could hardball a team into giving up the best player they've ever had while moving up in the draft.

Lamoriello's a genius. A scary, intense, hardballing genius. And that's what makes him a Hall of Famer and one of the best (if not the best) general managers in the NHL.