Ilya Kovalchuk Announces Retirement
Longtime NHL winger Ilya Kovalchuk has officially confirmed the end of his playing career, per Hockey News Hub on X.
Now 41, Kovalchuk is one of the most decorated wingers of the 21st century – even if his NHL career saw more than a few twists and turns. A dominant teenager with Spartak Moscow, then of the second-tier Russian league at the turn of the century, he was the first overall pick by the Thrashers in the 2001 draft.
Kovalchuk was the centerpiece of the fledgling Atlanta squad for seven and a half seasons, finishing second in Calder Trophy voting in his rookie year behind teammate Dany Heatley but capturing the league’s goal-scoring title with 41 in the 2003-04 campaign. He remained one of the league’s premier goal-scorers past the 2005 lockout, eclipsing the 50-goal mark twice with the Thrashers, although his throne as the league’s top left-wing sniper was quickly taken from him by countryman Alex Ovechkin.
In 2009-10, amid his sixth consecutive 40-goal campaign, the Thrashers dealt Kovalchuk to the Devils for what turned out to be an incredibly underwhelming return in retrospect – although they did flip the first-round pick they received in the deal to the Blackhawks to acquire longtime top-pair defenseman Dustin Byfuglien, even if those rewards were reaped after the franchise relocated to Winnipeg to become the second iteration of the Jets.
Of course, Kovalchuk’s time in New Jersey was incredibly tumultuous. Set to be a UFA in the summer of 2010, he returned to New Jersey on a record-breaking 17-year, $102MM contract that was quickly invalidated by the league for being too frontloaded. While the Devils and Kovalchuk agreed to a revised 15-year, $100MM deal, they were stripped of a first and third-round pick and were fined $3MM by the league.
After all that, Kovalchuk only played three seasons of the deal before abruptly retiring from the NHL, leaving $77MM in cash on the table to terminate his deal and return home. He played six seasons with SKA St. Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League, including a stint during the 2013 lockout. He was unsurprisingly the KHL’s premier offensive talent during that timeframe, posting 138-189–327 in 298 games with SKA, winning the Gagarin Cup in 2015 and 2017 and scoring the championship-clinching goal both times.
Upon leading the KHL in scoring in 2017-18 with 63 points in 53 games and winning an Olympic MVP and Gold Medal, Kovalchuk opted to make an NHL comeback and landed a hefty three-year, $18.75MM deal with the Kings. Then in his mid-30s, he underwhelmed in L.A. and managed just 43 points in 81 games over a season and a half before he again opted to walk away from the money remaining on his deal midway through the 2019-20 campaign. He finished out that season with the Canadiens and Capitals – the former signed him to a one-year deal following his termination and flipped him to Washington at the deadline. After amassing 10-16–26 in 46 games split between the three clubs, Kovalchuk headed back to Russia with Avangard Omsk.
“Kovy” finished the shortened 2020-21 season with 17 points in 16 games for Avangard en route to a third Gagarin Cup championship. He stepped away into an off-ice role after that, even serving as Russia’s general manager at the 2022 Winter Olympics, but returned to the sheet where his career began with Spartak last season. He notched 4-4–8 in 20 games and went pointless in five playoff games before opting not to re-sign last summer.
Kovalchuk played 13 NHL seasons, posting a 443-433–876 scoring line in 926 games with a -146 rating. He averaged a remarkable 21:15 per game throughout his career, including a few seasons north of 24 with the Devils. For his first NHL stint from 2001 to 2013, no one scored more than Kovalchuk’s 417 goals. He remained the Jets’ franchise all-time goals leader until Mark Scheifele finally surpassed him last month.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
David Savard Unsure Of Playing Future Beyond This Season
Canadiens defenseman David Savard was a speculative trade candidate heading into last week’s deadline. However, he wound up staying in Montreal with the team electing to neither buy nor sell, turning questions about him to next season. But in a recent interview with 98.5 Sports (audio link), the veteran indicated that he’s not sure of his plans for next year in terms of whether he intends to play or not.
The 34-year-old has been a solid top-four defender for the bulk of his career, particularly on the defensive side of things. That defensive utility made him worthy of a first-round pick and more at the trade deadline the last time he was on an expiring contract although his value league-wide was nowhere near that level last week, playing a role in him staying put.
This season, Savard has slowed down and his playing time has been cut accordingly. After averaging over 20 minutes a night of playing time in each of his first three seasons with Montreal, he’s at 17:40 per night heading into Wednesday’s action against Seattle. With nearly 1,600 career blocked shots and almost 1,500 hits, it’s fair to say Savard has a lot of mileage under his belt already in over 900 career NHL games played between the regular season and playoffs.
Savard is in the final season of a four-year contract that carries a $3.5MM AAV. Even with the $7.5MM increase in the salary cap for next season, his reduced role likely has him ticketed for a smaller price tag should he choose to stick around. If he’s viewed as more of a sixth option around the league, his offers will likely be closer to half of that amount and he’s not eligible yet for performance incentives on a one-year contract.
During the interview, Savard indicated that he wants to consult with his family about his playing future and thinks his decision will come closer to the end of the season. It’s also quite possible that he waits until later in the spring to see how his body recovers from another grinding campaign before deciding if he has another year left in him. If so, it will be interesting to see if the Canadiens make an offer for him to stick around or if they look for either a younger veteran to take that spot or save it for one of their prospects in the minors, likely either Logan Mailloux or David Reinbacher.
Canadiens Recall Joshua Roy, Assign Owen Beck To AHL
The Montreal Canadiens announced that they’ve recalled forward Joshua Roy on an emergency basis and sent forward Owen Beck to the Laval Rocket of the AHL. Due to the nature of the recall, Roy will not count against Montreal’s team limit of four recalls. The Canadiens play a back-to-back this week on Tuesday and Wednesday in Vancouver and Seattle and needed a change at forward.
It’s the second time this season that Roy has been recalled from the AHL. In his first NHL stint, the 21-year-old dressed in four games and was held pointless. With Laval in the AHL, Roy has tallied 20 goals and 15 assists in 40 games and was named an AHL All-Star last month. He’s been on a heater as of late with goals in three straight games, and four in his last five.
Beck is also an AHL All-Star this season and was named as a late replacement for Roy of all people. The Peterborough, Ontario native has dressed in 12 NHL games this season with the Canadiens but has had limited success with just a single assist and a -2 plus/minus. The 2022 second round pick (33rd overall) has seen limited ice time, skating less than 10 minutes per game, but has decent underlying numbers and has made his presence known with 23 hits. Beck is in his first season as a professional and has posted solid AHL numbers with 13 goals and 19 assists in 47 games. His demotion will allow him to play more minutes and re-capture his scoring touch with a top AHL team.
Canadiens Could Have Received Second-Round Pick For Armia
The Canadiens elected to stand pat at the trade deadline, a small sign of confidence in their group that has gotten back to the edge of the playoff picture since the 4 Nations Face-Off. But in doing so, it appears as if they opted not to make at least one move of some significance as Sportsnet’s Eric Engels reports that they could have landed a second-round pick for winger Joel Armia. The 31-year-old has 11 goals and 14 assists in 63 games this season but also has been one of the most-used players shorthanded while carrying a $3.4MM cap charge (which they may have had to pay down to make the move). Armia is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Canadiens Reassign Owen Beck, Jakub Dobes
- The Montreal Canadiens announced they’ve reassigned forward Owen Beck and goaltender Jakub Dobes to their AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket, for eligibility in the Calder Cup playoffs. Beck has been an extremely effective forward for the Rocket this year, scoring 13 goals and 32 points in 47 games. Meanwhile, Dobes has made a name for himself in Montreal, managing a 6-2-1 record in 10 games with a .909 SV% and 2.63 GAA, including one shutout.
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Canadiens Unlikely To Move Both Joel Armia, David Savard
The Canadiens are receiving high interest in pending UFAs Joel Armia and David Savard. With a playoff spot still in reach, though, they’re not likely to sell both players off before this afternoon’s deadline, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic writes.
That’s disappointing news for parties like the Jets, who David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports have a desire to acquire both. The Capitals and Oilers have also made inquiries on Armia, while the Maple Leafs have talked about picking up Savard from their chief rival to complement their blue line.
Montreal is just one point out of the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, but they’ve played one more game than the Senators, who currently hold the spot. There are currently five teams within two points of each other in wild card contention, too, yielding playoff odds of only 14.8% for the Habs, per MoneyPuck. That’s the lowest of the teams in that bubble.
Armia, in particular, has been a significant driver of Montreal’s unexpected success this season. The 31-year-old winger has re-emerged as a bottom-six fixture after a tumultuous 2023-24 season, which saw him clear waivers and log his first minor-league action since the 2015-16 campaign. Since being added back to Montreal’s roster after his brief AHL stint to begin last year, the 6’3″ Finn has posted 27-22–49 in 127 games for a 17-goal, 32-point pace per 82 games. He’s done so while averaging about 15 minutes per game, serving on the Habs’ top penalty kill unit with the recently-extended Jake Evans. He’s also got a plus-three rating on a team with a cumulative -33 goal differential at 5v5 over the last two years.
He’s in the final year of a four-year, $13.6MM deal he signed with Montreal following his strong showing in their run to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final. Carrying a $3.4MM cap hit, interested parties may want some salary retention for a player who will factor into a third- or fourth-line role for them. Montreal has one retention slot left and is willing to use it this deadline for the right price, according to Pagnotta.
Savard has been less of an impact piece. His ice time has been slashed in what’s now his age-34 season, averaging under 18 minutes per game for the first time in a decade. The right-shot defender has 1-11–12 in 55 games this year, but grades out as Montreal’s worst possession player at even strength with a 41.7 CF% and 40.4 xGF%. He’s a highly low-event player. Montreal only allows 2.8 goals per 60 minutes with Savard on the ice at even strength, fourth on the team among players with at least 20 games. However, he’s becoming a significant enough liability offensively to cause concern. Montreal only generates 50.2 shot attempts per 60 with Savard on the ice at even strength, according to Natural Stat Trick, the worst number on the team aside from Patrik Laine‘s 50.1.
Canadiens Sign Jake Evans To Four-Year Extension
The Canadiens announced they’ve signed center Jake Evans to a four-year extension, taking him off the trade market. It’s worth a total of $11.4MM with a cap hit of $2.85MM. The contract doesn’t include trade protection, according to Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic.
Talks on the deal came to a head over the weekend after a few weeks of silence, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic adds. The 28-year-old “made the call he didn’t want to leave” and will remain in Montreal as the upstart club looks to challenge for their first playoff berth since reaching the 2021 Stanley Cup Final.
Evans, a seventh-round pick by the Habs back in 2014, was on that club. Now in his sixth NHL season, he’s been a bottom-six fixture for Montreal almost instantaneously upon getting his first taste of NHL hockey. Now a reliable producer in the 20-to-30-point range, he’s seen his ice time climb to the 16-minute range per game while seeing increased even-strength minutes and heavy penalty kill deployment, especially since the 2022-23 campaign.
Trade interest in Evans, who was set to be a UFA this summer, spiked after a scorching start to the campaign. He punched far above his weight offensively in the first half of the campaign, notching 10-13–23 in 37 appearances before New Year’s. He’s been far quieter as of late, limited to five points in his last 24 outings, but his winning draws at a career-best 52.8% clip and is still on pace for a career-high 38 points. He likely could have fetched a higher return than the second-rounder, fourth-rounder, and C-tier prospect the Bruins received for physical depth forward Trent Frederic today. He’ll instead opt to continue his career in Montreal on a deal that earns him less per season than his $3.4MM projection from AFP Analytics.
Evans hasn’t been a possession monster for the Habs, posting negative relative Corsi shares at even strength in every year since 2022-23. Those splits come amid heavy defensive zone usage, though, making his career 46.7 CF% and 46.6 xGF% defensible. In fact, his shutdown unit this season with Joel Armia and rookie Emil Heineman has graded out quite well defensively. They’re allowing just 1.79 expected goals against per 60 minutes, seventh-best in the league among lines with more than 150 minutes together, according to MoneyPuck.
The Toronto native thus elects to stick around with Montreal as they exit their rebuild. His play is a significant reason why they’re just one point out of a playoff spot during deadline week and have a 12% chance of leapfrogging at least the Red Wings, Rangers, and Senators for the final wild-card spot, per MoneyPuck. He’ll remain in a Habs sweater through the 2028-29 campaign, after which he’ll be a UFA at age 33.
The Canadiens now have $11.4MM in projected cap space for next season with six open roster spots, although they’ll have significant flexibility with retired goaltender Carey Price‘s $10.5MM cap hit eligible for LTIR.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Canadiens Open To Keeping Jake Evans
The Nashville Predators are reportedly listening to trade offers on veteran center Ryan O’Reilly (as per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic). The Predators aren’t in a hurry to move the 34-year-old as he still has two years left on his current contract at $4.5MM per season and continues to provide strong two-way play, despite his offensive production dipping this season. O’Reilly is just a year removed from posting 69 points in 82 games and has put up points at a reasonable rate this year with 14 goals and 22 assists in 56 games.
The Predators aren’t actively trying to trade the Clinton, Ontario native, but it does sound as though they are open to doing so if they receive a trade offer that is to their liking. They currently sit 16 points out of a playoff spot but have many veterans inked to long term deals and are unlikely to initiate a rebuild anytime soon.
In other morning notes:
- The Seattle Kraken have not closed the door on re-signing pending free agent center Yanni Gourde (as per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic). Gourde is out of the lineup at the moment recovering from successful sports hernia surgery and has not played since January 2nd. He is expected to return before the NHL Trade Deadline and could be moved if Seattle can’t sign him to an extension. The situation is not unlike that of Jordan Eberle last year, who lingered on trade boards up until he signed a two-year extension to remain in Seattle.
- The Montreal Canadiens are reportedly open to keeping forward Jake Evans and won’t just move him for the sake of trading him (as per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic). Montreal remains in the playoff hunt in the Eastern Conference, sitting just three points back of Detroit for the final Wild Card spot and has plenty of draft picks at their disposal. The Canadiens have reportedly communicated their willingness to hang onto the 28-year-old Evans, who is set to become a UFA on July 1st. LeBrun believes that Winnipeg, New Jersey, Minnesota, Toronto and Edmonton are among the teams that have inquired about Evans.
Maple Leafs Showing Interest In Evans
- The Maple Leafs are among the teams with strong interest in Canadiens center Jake Evans, reports David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period (Twitter link). Evans is on pace for a career year offensively and has 11 goals and 26 assists through 59 games. He’s also the most-used forward shorthanded in the league while being a little above average at the faceoff dot and it’s his defensive play that will have teams interested in adding him over the coming days. With a $1.7MM cap charge, he’d be easier for Toronto to fit into their current cap structure compared to some of the more prominent but pricier middlemen potentially available.
Canadiens’ Kirby Dach Undergoes Knee Surgery, Out For Season
Canadiens forward Kirby Dach will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery on his right knee, the team announced today.
It’s the same knee that Dach needed surgery on in October 2023, when a hit from then-Blackhawks defenseman Jarred Tinordi caused an ACL and MCL tear and ended his season midway through his second appearance. He returned fully healthy for training camp in the fall, which Montreal said they expect to happen again this time.
Dach, 24, had been healthy all season before leaving last Saturday’s game against the Senators. He’d already sat out two contests with the injury before undergoing surgery. He hasn’t yet landed on injured reserve, but he will if Montreal needs additional roster flexibility ahead of next Friday’s trade deadline.
While uninterrupted until now, Dach’s 2024-25 campaign wasn’t one to write home about. The 2019 No. 3 overall pick ends his campaign with 10-12–22 in 57 games along with a career-worst -29 rating. His 0.39 points per game were a far cry from his 0.66 in the 2022-23 campaign, his first in Montreal after they acquired him from the Blackhawks for a pair of draft picks (the higher of which became Frank Nazar for Chicago).
The 6’4″ pivot did record a career-high 100 hits this year, but that’s more indicative of his newfound possession struggles than anything else. His 44.8 CF% at even strength was the worst of his career by far despite receiving the most advantageous offensive deployment of his young career. Dach’s 34.9 GF% at 5v5 is the worst among Canadiens skaters with at least 15 games played, per Natural Stat Trick, despite his 149 offensive zone starts leading the club.
A natural center, Dach has also consistently struggled in the faceoff dot since debuting with Chicago immediately in his post-draft season. His subpar 40.3 FOW% this year matched a career-high, leading Montreal head coach Martin St. Louis to deploy him on the wing more consistently. His most common linemates this year were Patrik Laine and Alex Newhook, the latter of whom has settled in as the Habs’ second-line center behind captain Nick Suzuki for the time being. That could change soon, though, as rookie Owen Beck has seen deployment in Dach’s place since being recalled earlier this week and has won 15 of his 28 draws this year. He recorded his first NHL point, an assist, in yesterday’s overtime win over the Sharks.
A second knee surgery in a year and a half rightfully calls Dach’s long-term standing in the organization into question. His first procedure stalled his initial breakout in Montreal, and his negative impacts this season post-surgery are clear. Whether he can get himself back on track to becoming a top-six-caliber player after going under the knife again remains to be seen.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.