Forward set to return to NHL after five seasons away
NHL
After a five-year hiatus, sniper Ilya Kovalchuk is set to return to the NHL. Kovalchuk agrees to a three-year deal with the Los Angeles Kings, the team announced at the NHL draft on Saturday. He will able to sign the contract once free agency starts on July 1.
The 35-year-old hasn’t played in the NHL since the 2012-13 season with the New Jersey Devils. He has spent the last five seasons in the KHL with SKA St. Petersburg. Before he left, though, Kovalchuk was a terror to NHL goalies and defenses.
Kovalchuk was the first overall pick in the 2001 entry draft by the then-Atlanta Thrashers. He scored 29 goals in his rookie campaign. Over the next seven seasons, the Russian native would score no fewer than 38 goals. He hit the 50-goal plateau twice in that span.
He also won the Maurice Richard Trophy in 2003-04, co-leading the league in goal scoring with Rick Nash and Jarome Iginla.
Overall, Kovalchuk played 12 seasons in the NHL before departing to the KHL. He scored 417 goals in 816 career games, scoring 30 or more goals in all but two of those years. He has tallied 11 goals in 32 career playoff games, as well.
Kovalchuk is coming off back-to-back 30 goals campaigns with SKA St. Petersburg.
He also helped lead the Olympic Athletes from Russia to the gold medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics. He scored five goals in six games during the tournament
This is the production the Kings are hoping they get in the upcoming season because they sure need it.
KINGS’ SCORING WOES
It is no secret Los Angeles has struggled to get the puck in the net the last few seasons. Last season, the Kings were 16th in goals per game. According to the NHL, LA is 22nd in goals per game since winning the Stanley Cup in 2014.
Kings president Luc Robitaille acknowledged his lack of scoring as the reason for the Kovalchuk signing. “We needed a shooter,” Robitaille told NHL.com at the 2018 NHL Draft. “We know he’s a goal-scorer and we’re not hiding it from anyone, we haven’t scored goals in the last few years.”
Some believe there is a bit of risk signing Kovalchuk due to his age. However, Robitaille and the Kings don’t seem worried about that. “We watched him a lot last year and he’s still an explosive player, he jumps into holes,” Robitaille said. “That’s the way the game is played.”
This article was originally written by former TSJ101SPORTS NHL Department Head and writer Carlos Medellin. Due to systems modalities, the article has been assigned to the author tag designation “Former Writers”.
