Apparently, Alex Kovalev can play a little defence, after all. After saying all the right things about "coming to a pretty good team that has a chance to win the Stanley Cup," the newest Ottawa Senator did his best to defend himself against claims that he has been an inconsistent performer and troublesome for coaches throughout his 16-year NHL career.

Kovalev, who signed a two-year, $10-million U.S. contract with the Senators on Monday, says some of his prolonged slumps during his career are the result of alternatively trying too hard and not being aggressive enough, and not because of an indifferent attitude. He also says the perception of him as a coach's nightmare is all wrong.

"There are always solutions," Kovalev said in a conference call Tuesday from Russia, where he's running a hockey camp. "All I look for in my career is to have some kind of communication with the coach, some kind of understanding, to tell me what I'm doing wrong. We are all doing the same job."

Those are certainly words that Senators coach Cory Clouston must like to hear, particularly given the headaches that have resulted from Dany Heatley's demand for a trade because he couldn't get along with Clouston.

Senators owner Eugene Melnyk said he didn't think twice about trying to acquire Kovalev.

"When his name came up, I thought it was a no-brainer," he said in an interview Tuesday on the Fan 590 in Toronto. "We've been looking for a first-line forward for some time. It was one of the gaps that I've talked about for some time, and (general manager Bryan Murray) has been talking about that forever, and we filled that hole. I'm very, very excited Alex became available and it didn't take long to sign him up."

Certainly, coming to the Senators represents a fresh start for Kovalev after his bumpy five-year ride with the Montreal Canadiens, but there's plenty of revisionist history in his comments about his reputation.

The mixed reaction to Kovalev's signing in Ottawa is the direct result of his inconsistent results, ranging from sensational to invisible to everything in between. In the past eight years, he has registered goal totals of 44, 32, 37, 14, 23, 18, 35 and 26. You never know what you're going to get.

As for his apparent smooth relationship with coaches, well, let's revisit his history with former Canadiens coach Guy Carbonneau.

In March 2007, Kovalev reportedly told a Russian magazine that Carbonneau favoured francophone players over Russians, and said the Canadiens' defensive style was stifling creative players. He later said he had been misquoted. Seven months later, Kovalev openly questioned the players Carbonneau had on the ice and why the coach didn't call a timeout in the late stages of a game against the Florida Panthers.

Kovalev's inconsistency last year had Carbonneau at his wit's end, before the Russian star was asked to stay home for a two-game road trip. When Carbonneau was fired last season, Kovalev said he had been baffled by Carbonneau's apparent favouritism toward younger players.

Considering the Heatley situation and Kovalev's past, Senators fans have the right to be curious about how the Kovalev-Clouston relationship will play out, but Kovalev says he didn't spend much time talking to Murray about Clouston before signing his contract.

He says he opted for the Senators because the team already has offensive stars, such as Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson, putting him in a situation where he can complement the existing talent.

"I think I can bring something that was missing to help the team be competitive for the Stanley Cup," he said. "They have always had one really good line, year after year, but I think, maybe, I can be part of creating two or three good lines (so the team can be more) successful in the playoffs. I'm not a big believer that one line can do all the damage."

It's a rather grand dream to think the Senators can go from missing the playoffs altogether last season to winning it all next season, but at the not-so-tender age of 36, Kovalev realizes the clock is ticking on his chances to win another Cup (he won in '94 with the Rangers).

The big line in past years, of course, has been the trio of Spezza, Alfredsson and Heatley. Yet, with Heatley still in limbo -- he asked for a trade out of Ottawa, but balked at a potential deal to Edmonton -- it's still unclear where Kovalev will fit in.

In conversations with media in Ottawa and Montreal Tuesday, it's also clear that Kovalev left a piece of his heart in Montreal. He hesitated on a similar contract offer from general manager Bob Gainey last week (some reports suggested he asked for a third year to be tacked on to the deal), prompting Gainey to add Scott Gomez, Brian Gionta and Mike Cammalleri instead.

"I was thinking so positively that I'd be back in Montreal, but, like I said before I left Montreal, it was not my decision to make," Kovalev told Montreal reporters. "When negotiations started, Bob (Gainey) didn't give us much time and the Canadiens went the other direction."

Kovalev had a strong following in Montreal, as witnessed by the fans who went to the Bell Centre last weekend to petition for Gainey to re-sign him, but he claims he will have no extra incentive in games against the Canadiens.

"The person I am, I'm not really the kind of guy that if you don't do something, I'll be mad at you for the rest of my life. This is part of the job, part of the business."

Kovalev acknowledges the move from Montreal will be difficult for his children, Nikita, 7, and Ivan, 5. By signing with the Senators, however, he remains close to the children's foundation he created, which is run out of Montreal.

Kovalev plans to travel to his offseason home in Greenwich, Connecticut, next week.