The Bruins’ pursuit of Atlanta Thrashers explosive forward Ilya Kovalchuk may have hit an impasse that will require some further negotiations to overcome.

A league source with direct knowledge has indicated to WEEI.com that in order for the Bruins to obtain Kovalchuk for the balance of the season, the Thrashers are demanding the Bruins part with the first-round pick in the 2010 draft they acquired from Toronto in the Phil Kessel deal.

The Bruins are unwilling to trade that pick, which could be among the top three in the draft. Kovalchuk is set to become an unrestricted free agent in July and giving up a top-three pick for a short-term stint with the B’s could be too steep a price.

Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli would not comment on the status of any “trade rumors” when asked about the negotiations at practice Thursday morning.

The Thrashers have been unable to sign Kovalchuk to an extension and risk losing a significant asset without compensation if they are unable to reach a deal to move Kovalchuk before the March 3 trade deadline.

In 591 games over eight NHL seasons, Kovalchuk has 327 goals and 286 assists. He has 30 goals and 26 assists in 56 games this season.

At this point the Thrashers are looking to land an impact player or a high draft pick for Kovalchuk. The Los Angeles Kings, who have significant cap room to sign Kovalchuk long term and a sizeable collection of young prospects to offer Atlanta, is also said to be making a significant pitch for Kovalchuk.

How steep a price a team will be willing to pay for Kovalchuk, who one league source indicated could be seeking up to $9 million per season in a contract extension, remains to be seen.  

“How many players are really worth $7 million, let alone what a guy like Kovalchuk is going to demand?” said a league GM. “If you’re going to be in that stratosphere, you not only have to be great player, you have to be a leader and you have to make other players around you better. You can’t have any maintenance.”

So what happens if the Bruins can’t land Kovalchuk? Here are a few other players who may be on the trading block and could possibly be a good fit for the Bruins. They may not be an impact player like Kovalchuk, but they also may not command as steep a price.

Paul Kariya – St. Louis

It would certainly be interesting to see how Kariya would mesh skating with Marc Savard. He would add team speed to the Bruins and provide a nice counter-attack off the rush. 

Kariya was not thrilled to play under Mike Babcock’s defensive system during the Ducks’ run to the Cup Finals in 2003, so there could be an issue as to whether he’d adjust to the Bruins’ defensive structure. But he also could be given some free reign to make use of his offensive skills in the manner afforded Phil Kessel.

Raffi Torres – Columbus

The 28-year-old winger brings decent size (6-0, 223) along with a competitive nature. Torres can also put the puck in the net. He has 16 goals, which may not sound earth shattering, but that actually would make him the goal-scoring leader on the Bruins.

Lubomir Visnovsky – Edmonton

The Bruins are in dire need of a puck-moving defenseman who can provide some pop on the power play. Visnovsky is one of the best skaters in the league, he can lug the puck and has 15 power play points, including four goals.

The 33-year old does come with an expensive annual salary cap hit of $5.6 million, probably a bit pricy for the Bruins, but generating offense often involves spending a few bucks.

Ray Whitney – Carolina

No shortage of offensive talent here. The 37-year-old leads the Hurricanes in scoring (16 goals, 23 assists) and has been a skilled contributor during each of his 18 NHL seasons.

It’s been reported that Whitney has a no-trade clause in his contract, so he would need to weigh the Bruins’ playoff possibilities against that of other suitors, which may not help the odds of him landing in Boston.

Alexei Ponikarovsky – Toronto

A nice combination of size (6-4, 220) and goal-scoring ability. Again, Ponikarovsky’s 16 goals this season does not rank among the league’s elite, but it’s more than anyone has generated on the Bruins.

Also perhaps more amazing, despite playing for the woeful Maple Leafs, Ponikarovsky has a plus-3 rating this season. He seemingly understands the need to play solid defense.