Kovalchuk back to NHL?

[Kgbeast 195]

Noise in Russian hockey press suggesting that Kovalchuck will start 2017-2018 season in NHL. 

 

[IPv6Freely 2092]

This has been news for a month or more. 

[Kgbeast 195]

Very well. I missed that until now... better yet(for me) one of the likely new homes for him is Columbus. Looks like Kovy was "getting familiar" with the area, whatever that means. 

[flip12 715]

He had good chemistry with Panarin at SKA.

[clarkiestooth 235]

This would have been exciting if we could summons  a 2005 Kovi. 2017 Kovi is just a guy who was a healthy scratch for SKA.

[Kgbeast 195]

Not sure about healthy scratch. He has 87 points in 17-18 season, second in KHL. Still a sniper and a dangler. Pretty fast and pretty furious. CBJ could use his size and experience. That said, it makes sense for him to sit out in KHL for one more year. In 2018, we will be an unrestricted free agent with no ties to Devils. He will be able to go with anyone who sign him, without any hoops to jump through. Another huge thing for Kovalchuck is to go and play in Winter Olympics which is his last chance. Plus since NHL will not be there in any capacity, it will take a miracle on ice for Russia not to take gold. I think Kovy will be really looking at that. Next year, at 35, with his experience and level of play, he can have a very good run in the right team, so he can bag a Stanley as well. If it was me, I would have gone to Olympics, then next year take a low contract from an NHL team that has good chance at the cup. Lots of changes in NHL this year, so it is pretty difficult to see who is what. This is another reason to wait.

[flip12 715]

14 hours ago, clarkiestooth said:

This would have been exciting if we could summons  a 2005 Kovi. 2017 Kovi is just a guy who was a healthy scratch for SKA.

Yeah, KGB is right, you were thinking of 2016 Kovy, who was apparently missing Panarin pretty hard. 2017 Kovy was pretty beast again (with strong support from Datsyuk and Voynov). He's still only 34! This could give him the chance to be the second Russian to get 500 NHL goals. And I think he wants to win a Stanley Cup. His chance with the Devils was pretty dim with his injury limiting him and they didn't have so much offense aside from what he could produce when he was healthy.

Edited July 2, 2017 by flip12

[clarkiestooth 235]

6 hours ago, flip12 said:

Yeah, KGB is right, you were thinking of 2016 Kovy, who was apparently missing Panarin pretty hard. 2017 Kovy was pretty beast again (with strong support from Datsyuk and Voynov). He's still only 34! This could give him the chance to be the second Russian to get 500 NHL goals. And I think he wants to win a Stanley Cup. His chance with the Devils was pretty dim with his injury limiting him and they didn't have so much offense aside from what he could produce when he was healthy.

Yeah, you have a point. But the KHL is a long, long way from the NHL.

[flip12 715]

4 hours ago, clarkiestooth said:

Yeah, you have a point. But the KHL is a long, long way from the NHL.

Totally agree.

[215BroadStBullies610 435]

I feel that NJ should move him for something than lose him next year, getting nothing. Ilya can still play in the NHL. Maybe not at the same clip we witnessed during his time in ATL/NJ, but he is still a legitimate scoring threat.

[chippa13 1844]

He has said thru his agent that he will be spending the upcoming season in the KHL. If it is true that NJ loses all rights to him in Summer 2018 then what can they possibly get for him? The answer is not much since any team would just be dealing for the exclusive bargaining rights between the end of the KHL season and July 1. There is no big return that NJ can expect.

[Kgbeast 195]

Good call on his behalf. As far if he is the same or not, hard to say, but he is still a powerhouse, very fast, sniper and a one of the best danglers, and can drop gloves with the best of them. If he comes back next year, he should be able to put together a nice highlight reel.

[215BroadStBullies610 435]

7 hours ago, chippa13 said:

He has said thru his agent that he will be spending the upcoming season in the KHL. If it is true that NJ loses all rights to him in Summer 2018 then what can they possibly get for him? The answer is not much since any team would just be dealing for the exclusive bargaining rights between the end of the KHL season and July 1. There is no big return that NJ can expect.

No doubt. The reality though: a return > no return. I still don't see why NJ didn't do anything (assuming that it is too late to do anything this off-season).

[chippa13 1844]

My guess is that any interested teams contacted Kovalchuk's agent and once they learned he wasn't coming back this season they figured there was no point to pursue it.

[215BroadStBullies610 435]

That would make sense then. Oh well. One should expect him to be playing in the NHL in 2018-19.