It wasn’t much of a gamble when the Montreal Canadiens signed Ilya Kovalchuk after his contract termination with the Los Angeles Kings. After all, they only handed him a one-year, two-way $700K contract—the absolute minimum he could accept. That gamble has paid off quite a bit though as the veteran sniper immediately gave the Canadiens another weapon up front, to the point where some are now wondering whether they could flip him at the deadline for something of real value.
While value is relative, Kovalchuk may still not be able to land the Canadiens a premium asset. Frank Seravalli of TSN spoke to several executives around the NHL who believe the team will be able to get a third- or fourth-round pick, but not a second. Even a fourth would make the signing worth it, but you have to wonder how high that return could climb if Kovalchuk continues to produce at his current level.
In 13 games with the Canadiens, the 36-year old forward has five goals and ten points while logging more than 19 minutes a night. His possession statistics have been excellent and he is even a +5, the first positive rating he would have in the NHL since his return.
If Kovalchuk seriously wants a shot at the Stanley Cup he may prefer going somewhere at the deadline, but his performance in Montreal also opens up some interesting questions about next season. After flaming out in Los Angeles it was hard to see him having much of a future in the NHL at all, but after proving he can still play a role—even a sheltered one—there will be plenty of Kovalchuk talk to come.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Extending him makes far more sense.
They would be lucky to get a 4th for him.
Keep him for one more year and then trade him at next year’s deadline
flyers need to go get him. They have been real good this far plus we should get Hart, ghost, and Patrick back within 2 weeks. he could only help the young guys