RADIO
Remember Ilya Kovalchuk? The guy who signed a 17-year, $102 million deal in July of 2010 with the New Jersey Devils only to abandon them three years later and defect back to the Kontinental Hockey League? Well now he wants back into the NHL.
Kovalchuk, 31, who was the first overall pick in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, has grown tired of the KHL according to Finnish newspaper Iitalehti. Despite being named the captain of the KHL hockey club SKA St. Petersburg and making north of $15 million per season, he is eyeing a return to the NHL for the 2016-2017 season.
However his return becomes sticky when, according to Greg Wyshynski of PuckDaddy.com, Kovalchuk will need to receive approval from all 30 NHL teams to return to the league because back in 2013, when he left the Devils, he filed voluntary retirement papers. If he does not get permission from all 30 teams, he can only return to the NHL after waiting a full season. Even after a full 82 games has passed since he requested their permission he can only return to play for the Devils. The only way Kovalchuk can return to the NHL and not play for New Jersey is if he waits to become an unrestricted free agent prior to the 2018-2019 season when he would be 35.
For the NHL’s sake they should hope Kovalchuk returns to the league. In 816 games he has recorded 417 goals and 399 assists in twelve seasons with the Atlanta Thrashers and the Devils. The left winger’s production hasn’t dropped in the slightest since transitioning to the KHL as he has 25 goals and 30 assists in 54 games this season and has a total of 59 goals and 78 assists in 135 KHL games since he signed a four-year deal with SKA St. Petersburg.
