Sharks’ Nikolai Kovalenko Eyeing KHL Return

It’s looking unlikely that Sharks pending RFA winger Nikolai Kovalenko will sign a new contract with San Jose. The 25-year-old has been unhappy with his deployment after the Sharks acquired him from the Avalanche in December and is considering a return to the Kontinental Hockey League with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod next season, his father, ex-NHLer Andrei Kovalenko, told Russia Hockey.

“It was understandable when Nikolai played in the third line of Colorado in the first half of the season, after all, this club is a contender for the championship, the competition in the top lines is extremely high,” Kovalenko said (translated from Russian). “In San Jose, with all due respect, the situation is different. It is obvious that there are personal sympathies on the part of the coach – and there is no agreement with the management policy. Watch the Sharks’ games – and you will see who deserves what.”

“I know that Nikolai’s agent is in contact with Torpedo’s management, and various options are possible,” Kovalenko continued. Nizhny Novgorod still holds Kovalenko’s KHL signing rights after he left the club last year to report to the Avalanche.

A sixth-round pick by Colorado back in 2018, Kovalenko arrived in Denver last spring to much fanfare. He’d been one of the KHL’s top scorers over the 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns, scoring 32-57–89 in 98 games with Torpedo after they acquired him from Ak Bars Kazan. He made his NHL debut for the Avs in the 2024 playoffs after a brief AHL stint and, unsurprisingly, made Colorado’s opening night roster.

But even amid a plethora of injuries for the Avs out of the gate, Kovalenko never commanded anything more than a third-line role. After averaging 12 minutes per game through his first 28 appearances, posting four goals and eight points, Colorado dealt him to San Jose in the trade that saw Mackenzie Blackwood head to Denver.

As the elder Kovalenko alluded to, Nikolai’s ice time has barely changed in San Jose. In and out of the lineup due to injury, he’s averaged 12:24 per game. Despite that, his offensive production has increased, totaling 3-9–12 through 26 games post-trade. He’s also seen increased usage in the past three games, averaging north of 15 minutes per night during that stretch, and has a three-game point streak as a result.

He’s shown the ability to be a dependable top-nine presence with even some upward second-line mobility, boasting acceptable possession impacts while playing a physical game. He’s recorded 24 blocks and 79 hits in 54 total appearances and would be on pace for 30 points over an 82-game schedule. Nonetheless, he believes he’s capable of more and won’t achieve that development with the Sharks.

Even if Kovalenko opts to return to Russia, the Sharks can retain his signing rights until 2027 by giving him a qualifying offer. If he desires an NHL return before then, he’ll either need to sign with San Jose or get them to trade his rights for an asset.