The saga of Ilya Kovalchuk continued this weekend when a report by Larry Brooks of the New York Post stirred up a few fan bases. Brooks listed St. Louis, San Jose and Toronto along with New York in pursuit of the Russian sniper, and today added that Columbus had thrown their hat into the ring. While each of those teams have interesting connections with Kovalchuk in the past, Darren Dreger was on TSN radio in Toronto this morning to dispel speculation about at least one market.
I don’t believe the Maple Leafs are interested. I saw the reports, and did my work in digging through my Maple Leafs sources and I was told that ’it’s BS’.
I think that Kovalchuk is interested in returning to the NHL, but part of me also wonders if he’s just not trying to ratchet up some leverage to stay in the KHL. But I believe that given the right situation, right contract that yes he’d come back to the NHL.
The connection to the Maple Leafs did seem tenuous at best, seeming to only hinge on the familiarity between Toronto GM Lou Lamoriello and Kovalchuk from their days in New Jersey. While it’s not clear where that relationship stands after years apart, the Maple Leafs have repeatedly said that they aren’t going to deviate from their plan to slowly build into a contender. If Kovalchuk was looking for anything more than a two-year contract, the Maple Leafs would run into some financial issues as Auston Matthews, William Nylander and Mitch Marner all come up for new contracts.
The 34-year old Kovalchuk scored 32 goals and 78 points in the KHL this season and from all accounts still has much to offer an NHL team looking for scoring help. The idea that he is a 30-goal, top line winger is debatable and as Dreger puts it “if he’s not scoring 25 or more, is it going to be worth it?” The answer to that question will be answered in the coming months as his current negotiations come to an end. Next summer, when Kovalchuk would become an unrestricted free agent at age-35 and won’t require an interested team to give up an asset to the New Jersey Devils may be a better time for many teams to get involved.
The problem with Kovalchuk coming back next year is he’ll be 35, meaning different rules apply for a long term contract. If he retires during the contract, the team will still be on the hook for it, making it more risky for them. He’s looking at a lot less money/term next season as opposed to this season, that’s why he wants to come back now. Even though Kovalchuk will command some assets in a trade this year, its more beneficial for both him and the team that acquires him to do it this year.