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Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman recently reported that Ilya Kovalchuk would like to return to the league.
The New Jersey Devils own his rights but should he wish to play elsewhere, or the Devils decide he doesn't fit their plan, they can flip him for an asset or two.
In this edition of the hotstove, we discuss where we'd like to see Kovalchuk end up should the rumors be true.
Todd Cordell
Part of me wants him to return to New Jersey because they deserve to get him back and, holy crap, a Taylor Hall - Ilya Kovalchuk duo would be incredible.
The Devils don't play the most exciting system, though, so from a pure entertainment perspective, it'd be fun if Kovalchuk ended up in Edmonton or Calgary. I'd love to see the kind of damage he could do with an elite playmaker like Connor McDavid or Johnny Gaudreau on his line.
James Tanner
Kovalchuk should go back to the Devils. They got screwed so badly by Kovalchuk that if he wants to play, it should be for them. And really, why not?
A 1-2 punch of Taylor Hall and Kovalchuck would be pretty lethal. Even if Kovalchuk is slightly passed his prime, his shooting ability is legendary and he can probably maintain his PPG average just on the PP alone.
Devils aren't really that far from being a competing team - Hall and Schneider are amazing and they have a nice set of prospects. Kovalchuk would certainly help and it'd be awesome to see him back in the NHL.
Peter Tessier
The Jets, make it a reunion! LOL that's a bad idea. The challenge here is that it has to be a team with cap space. Someone who can likely fit him in is the logical option unless he is chasing Cup glory.
The one team that I can see being an option if he fit with their internal tactics is the Panthers. Vanek, a left wing is a UFA and I wonder if Kovalchuk would look at Jagr and see his success with Florida as a motivator. The other team who could fit Kovalchuk in based on roster and cap space (depending on contract) is Boston. With Drew Stafford, a right-handed LW UFA leaving, would open up a spot for the shifty Russian. However, Boston has some RFAs to pay as well so this is tricky.
Kovalchuk would likely have his pick of teams but it will all depend on how much money he expects and term on top of that in his next contract.
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