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Ilya Kovalchuk eyeing NHL return for 2018-19 season |
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Follow me on Twitter @ToddCordell
When news broke that Ilya Kovalchuk wouldn't return to the NHL this season, the assumption was he'd do so a year from now.
It appears that will be the case.
As has been speculated, Kovalchuk will play in the KHL for another season, represent Russia at the 2018 Olympics, and aim to sign with an NHL team next summer.
Interested teams would have had to pay a lot of money *and* trade assets to acquire Kovalchuk this off-season, which was surely a big reason no deal ended up coming to fruition.
By waiting, teams will be spared assets, Kovalchuk will have the opportunity to represent his country at the Olympics, and then he can hand pick where he wants to play next year when the Devils lose his rights.
Where he ends up remains to be seen but the New York Rangers have long been rumored to be on Kovalchuk's short list, and Rick Nash's $7.8 million comes off the books next summer, so perhaps he'll get his wish.
Either way, the possibility of a return to the Devils, or picking up some sort of asset in exchange for Kovalchuk's services, is gone.
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