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Five teams who could turn to Kovalchuk. Remembrance and Veterans Day

November 11, 2016, 12:10 PM ET [58 Comments]
Eklund
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Ilya Kovalchuk is once again eyeing the NHL...but many are saying he has little left to bring for the price he will be asking...Many say he has slowed a ton since he was in the NHL drawing comparisons to Alex Ovechkin. The question this summer will be:

Which other Alex is he? Radulov or Semin?

And who will be willing to take that chance?

Here are 5 teams (in no particular order) who I believe will be willing to go a year...somewhere in the $5M range:

#5. The Montreal Canadiens.

The Habs have shown time and time again their willingness to bring on misunderstood Russians, and Russian players have shown a ton of propensity towards the great city. Kovalev started this trend and it has continued to Semin and Radulov...This possibility could grow even stringer if the Habs find themselves with Kirk Muller, who is close to Kovalchuk, in a more prominent position.

#4. The San Jose Sharks.

Peter Deboer LOVED Ilya Kovalchuk in NJ and Kovalchuk thrived under him. Deboer has shown a tendency towards trying to get back players he once coached and the Sharks could be seen as a place where Ilya takes a little less money for a shot at a Cup.

#3. The Toronto Maple Leafs.

You would probably think that Lou Lamoriello wasn't too pleased with Kovalchuk's surprise "retirement" in NJ, but to be honest Lou always knows the people behind their decisions first and was rather understanding (and maybe not too unhappy in losing such an enormous contract to boot) People I have talked to have always said that Kovalchuk felt terrible leaving Lou in a lurch and would definitely give him first dibs should he return.

#2. The NJ Devils.

Ilya Kovalchuk legitimately LOVED playing for the NJ Devils. He loved the fans, he loved his teammates, and he loved living in the NY area but NOT having the pressure of being a Ranger on him. Kovalchuk was very close with Brodeur and Parise and they will tell you what kind of person they thought he was.

#1. The Las Vegas Whatchamacallits.

Here is a good one I just heard. Vegas is going to be looking for some star power to launch their new franchise and Kovalchuk just might be one avenue they explore. If Kovalchuk follows the money, and some say he ALWAYS follows the money, the (team to be named later) will be silly with cap space and Kovalchuk could be looked at like a marketing expense..

On Veterans/Remembrance Day...

My thoughts and prayers go out to all reading this who have lost some brave soul in the armed forces defending our way of life. No matter what your political thoughts are this week, we can all agree that the heroes of our time are NOT on the right or the left....but in the middle...in our hearts.
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