While Ilya Kovalchuk is looking for his next place to play, we now know one place that he won’t be suiting up down the stretch and that’s the KHL. Sport-Express’ Igor Eronko notes (Twitter link) that the deadline for him to sign in that league came and went today without a deal in place which makes him ineligible to play there for the rest of the season.
Kovalchuk has been believed to be seeking another NHL team so the fact that this window has come and gone would seemingly suggest that there’s at least some progress being made on a contract. The unrestricted free agent is believed to have a few suitors although he’ll likely be looking at a league minimum deal or close to it. If and when that happens, the Kings will not receive any cap relief on the $6.25MM that remains on their books.
The 36-year-old was relatively productive when he was in the lineup with Los Angeles earlier this season, collecting three goals and six assists in 17 games. However, with the style of play getting faster and faster, Kovalchuk may not be an ideal fit for a lot of teams as he fares better with a bit slower of a pace.
Although his chance to go back home has come and gone, there’s still a long way to go before he gets into that situation in the NHL. The deadline for him to sign an NHL deal and be playoff eligible is the February 24th trade deadline.
Trade for him in NHL 2004 and he dominates for years and years.