Los Angeles Kings expected to part ways with Ilya Kovalchuk
The Ilya Kovalchuk saga is likely coming to an end, as the Los Angeles Kings are reportedly going to start the process of getting rid of him.
The Los Angeles Kings have been haunted by the Ilya Kovalchuk saga this season. Signing the then-35-year-old forward back in 2018 was a risky move and it has gone about as poorly as one could have imagined. Kovalchuk has not played since Nov. 9 and has played in just 17 of the Kings’ 35 games as of Dec. 16.
According to Pierre LeBrun, the two sides are moving towards a mutual parting of ways. Kovalchuk is expected to leave the team as early as today and likely soon. Once he does, he will be breaching his contract with the Kings, which would lead to a suspension. Kovalchuk has been paid his $2.65 million bonus, so this process should start very shortly, if not today.
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Eventually, it would end with Kovalchuk being a free agent again. This process will likely be over by the end of the week starting Dec. 16. Though Kovalchuk reportedly wants to stay in the NHL, he has some offers from the KHL.
Because Kovalchuk signed his contract as a 35-and-over player, the Kings will still be on the hook for his $6.25 million this season and next season. However, they will no longer have to pay him physical cash.
Assuming this goes through, it will be the second time in his career Kovalchuk has had his contract terminated by an NHL team. He left the New Jersey Devils after the 2012-13 season for the KHL. Kovalchuk did this despite having 12 years and $77 million left on his contract at the time.
The Kings doubled down on their aging core after the 2017-18 season. At the time, Kovalchuk was still a very productive player. However, the Kings have been struggling ever since and obviously, things didn’t work out well with Kovalchuk.
This could be the end of Kovalchuk’s NHL career. If it is, he’ll retire as one of the most prolific Russians to play in the NHL. He was drafted with the first overall pick in the 2001 NHL Draft by the Atlanta Thrashers, who are now the Winnipeg Jets.
In 897 career regular season games, Kovalchuk has 436 goals, 423 assists, and 859 points. Additionally, he has added 27 points (11 goals and 16 assists) in 32 postseason games. Kovalchuk split the 2003-04 Rocket Richard Trophy as the NHL’s leading goal scorer (41 goals) with Rick Nash and Jarome Iginla.
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Furthermore, he holds two noteworthy NHL records. Kovalchuk holds the single-season record for most shootout goals in a single season (11) and most game-winning shootout goals (7). He set both records during the 2011-12 season.