Ilya Kovalchuk Visiting With Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks

While John Tavares remains the top potential free agent this summer, Ilya Kovalchuk is still an intriguing name for many teams around the league. The 35-year old Russian sniper was once a devastating force in the NHL, and is trying to make a comeback after several years in the KHL. Though Kovalchuk had previously indicated he would favor New York or Florida as possible destinations, Darren Dreger of TSN reports that the free agent forward was in California today meeting with the Los Angeles Kings, and has a meeting scheduled for tomorrow with the San Jose Sharks.

Kovalchuk can agree to terms with any team in the NHL, though no contract can be officially signed until July 1st.

The Kings have struggled for several years to create offense with the group they have, relying heavily on Anze Kopitar and Jeff Carter. While Kovalchuk would present an opportunity to improve that offense, he also comes with a fair amount of risk.

Though eligible for performance bonuses if he signs a one-year deal, Kovalchuk is expected to be seeking a multi-year pact to return and compete for the Stanley Cup. After already “retiring” from the league once, many teams may be hesitant to commit to him for that long, especially since his contract would count against the cap regardless of what he decides to do in the future. As a 35+ player, even retirement doesn’t remove the cap hit from the books.

The Sharks lost Patrick Marleau last offseason and couldn’t quite replicate his production from the wing. They risk losing Joe Thornton this summer and have both Logan Couture and Joe Pavelski scheduled for free agency in 2019. Though Kovalchuk doesn’t offer a long-term fix, he could help crack open their window of competition in the short-term ad help them get over the hump.