Ilya Kovalchuk Contemplating Return to NHL

Reports from overseas indicate that self-exiled superstar Ilya Kovalchuk is contemplating a NHL return for the 2016/17 season. While there are procedural issues surrounding a possible return, this news is not completely surprising since the Russian economy continues to struggle and the Ruble just isn’t going very far these days.

Ilya Kovalchuk bolted from the New Jersey Devils after the 2012/13 season unexpectedly, only three years into a 15-year deal that would have paid him $100 million. The news left the Devils with their proverbial pants down as they have struggled to replicate the offensive void left by Kovalchuk. You can say a lot of things about Kovalchuk, but the one thing you couldn’t say is he wasn’t an offensive force: he finished his first go-around in the NHL with 816 points in 816 games, including 417 goals. You don’t think the Devils could use a weapon like that for an offense that finished 27th in the league last year in scoring and is now 28th?

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If the reports are accurate, Kovalchuk would only be 33 at the start of the 2016/17 season, and assuming he’s healthy (he’s faced back and shoulder issues recently), he’d still have plenty in the tank to offer. What we don’t know is if Kovalchuk would be returning because of the money, or because he wants another chance at a Stanley Cup. Considering he’s making $15 million tax free in Russia, my guess is on the former.

It will be interesting to gauge the interest he’d receive on the open market. As of today there are a number of key players set to become unrestricted free agents in the summer of 2016 as well, including Steven Stamkos, Anze Kopitar, Eric Staal, and Jakub Voracek, just to name a few. It wouldn’t shock anyone to see those top guys re-signed before then anyway, leaving Ilya Kovalchuk as one of the top options out there.

The team that makes most sense to make a push for him is his former employer, the Devils. He was willing to commit to the organization 15 years when he was a a free agent (well, 17 actually if you count the contract that never passed the league’s offices), so it shouldn’t be an issue of selling him on the area. The Devils have some good-looking defensive prospects and players, and a goalie in Cory Schneider who is playing at a Vezina-caliber level this season (and no, he’s not going to win it, so put down the pitchforks people from Montreal). But it’s no secret that the Devils could use an offensive player or two (or three or four) to get them back to a contender level. Kovalchuk would probably not be the game-breaker he was several years ago, but if his play in the KHL is any indication, he can still fill up a score sheet. Plus, don’t you think he owes the Devils one here?

Maybe the better question is would Lou Lamoriello want him back? At the time the Devils paid a steep price to acquire him (Johnny Oduya, Niclas Bergfors, Patrice Cormier, first round draft pick), were fined and lost a future first round draft pick when they signed him to a contract that was deemed to be circumventing the cap, and struggled offensively in his absence. Is he just too much trouble for them? Possibly. But the reward of obtaining a potential offensive weapon like Kovalchuk may be too great to pass up.

Of course if he signs with the Devils the conspiracy theorists will break out the tin-foil hats and be ready to bang down the doors at the NHL offices. You see, Kovalchuk’s deal carried a massive recapture penalty if he waited a few years before “retiring” to the KHL. Instead of the Devils being stuck with significant dead money for the next decade, Kovalchuk’s departure left the Devils with only $250,000 of dead money through 2024/25. Could his eventual return all be one master plan deployed by the master Lou Lams, allowing Kovalchuk to “retire” for a few seasons, saving the Devils potential huge future penalties, while re-tooling for the future with higher quality draft picks, and then bringing Kovalchuk back into the fold as one of the few missing pieces?

Probably not…even if it is fun to think about.

So about those procedural issues? Well, he’ll need the approval of all 30 teams in order to re-join the league before he turns 35, and no one can predict how the league’s high-ups will react when push comes to shove. Will the league and its owners view it as a way to bring back one of its top talents, forgiving him for the sin of going to the KHL? Or did they see Ilya Kovalchuk’s retirement as the ultimate betrayal in a sport where “honor” is seen as a prerequisite to lace them up?

Hopefully the league will embrace his return and allow him to come back as soon as he’s ready to jump over. They need to think of their paying fans who would come out to cheer for (or root against) Kovalchuk and will be in awe when he releases one of his wicked shots towards a terrified goalie. He wouldn’t be a conquering hero for the league…but who says villains aren’t good for it either?

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