According to recent rumours, Ilya Kovalchuk is eyeing a return to the NHL.
For those who don鈥檛 know about his situation, I鈥檒l give you a recap.
He spent the first eight years of his NHL career (missing 2004-05 due to the NHL lockout) with the now-defunct Atlanta Thrashers scoring 288 goals and 287 assists in 604 games.
During the 2009-10 season he was traded to the New Jersey Devils because he and the Thrashers couldn鈥檛 come to terms on a new contract.
It was reported that he was offered two separate contracts, one for 12-years and $102 million and another for seven years and $70 million, both of which were rejected.
After putting up 27 points in 27 games with the Devils in 2009-10, Kovalchuk agreed to a 17-year $102 million contract with the Devils July 19, 2010.
Keep in mind that Kovalchuk was already 27-years-old at the time this was announced, as if a 17-year contract wasn鈥檛 absurd enough, handing it to a 27-year old made you question Devils GM Lou Lamoriello鈥檚 sanity.
There was one problem though; the NHL rejected the contract two days after it was announced.
The issue was that Kovalchuk was set to receive $6 million the first two years; $11.5 million the next five years; $10.5 million in 2017-18; $8.5 million in 2018-19; $6.5 million in 2019-20; $3.5 million in 2020-21; $750,000 in 2021-22; and just $550,000 for the final five years.
Did you see a pattern there?
The cap hit the Devils would face was only $6 million per year, the average amount of money he would make each season.
The cap hit was significantly lower than it probably should have been for a player of his calibre, because of the lower salary in the final six years of his contract.
The sticking point was that Kovalchuk could retire after the highest paying years of his contract were done, and the Devils would get out of his $6 million cap hit for five or six years while having Kovalchuk through his 鈥減rime鈥� at a bargain rate.
The NHL deemed the Devils were trying to circumvent the salary cap, and slapped them with a $3 million fine, the loss of a third round draft pick in 2011, and had to chose which year to give up a first round draft pick within the next four seasons.
Eventually the NHL reconsidered, removing the fine and allowing the Devils to have the 30th overall pick in 2014.
It was still a tough pill to swallow because based on standings the Devils would have had the 11th overall pick last year.
A month and a half after the NHL rejected Kovalchuk鈥檚 monster contract, he signed a new 15-year, $100 million deal.
This one saw him receive $90 million in the first 10 years, and $10 million in the final five years with an annual cap hit of $6.67 million.
It was approved, and everyone thought the problem was solved.
But then the NHL had another lockout in 2012.
Many players, including Kovalchuk, went overseas to play in Europe until the NHL reconvened in January.
Kovalchuk played for the Kontinental Hockey League鈥檚 SKA St. Petersburg during the first half of the 2012-13 season.
The KHL is basically Russia鈥檚 version of the NHL.
After the NHL season began in January, Kovalchuk returned and played 37 games with the Devils, scoring 31 points.
Then Kovalchuk shocked the hockey world July 11, 2013 by announcing his retirement from the NHL.
He stated that playing in his home country of Russia during the lockout made him want to play there for the rest of his career.
He left $77 million and 12 years on the table with the Devils, signing voluntary retirement papers with the league.
Four days later it was announced that Kovalchuk signed a four-year deal with SKA St. Petersburg.
Leaving that money on the table wasn鈥檛 too hard, as it was reported that Kovalchuk would be making anywhere from $15-$20 million, tax free, per year in Russia.
On Monday, reports surfaced that Kovalchuk is looking to return to the NHL for the 2016-17 season.
In 99 games in the KHL the past two years, Kovalchuk scored 41 goals and 54 assists.
He鈥檚 still under contract in the KHL for two more years.
If the reports are true, Kovalchuk will need approval from all 30 NHL teams to return for the 2016-17 season because he voluntarily signed retirement papers.
If that doesn鈥檛 happen, there are two other ways he could return to the NHL.
He could either wait until the 2018-19 season when he鈥檚 35-years-old, which would grant him unrestricted free agent status, allowing him to sign anywhere he pleases.
Or he could sit out for an entire calendar year, and return to the NHL the following year needing only the approval of the Devils.
If he did the latter, he would be transferred from the voluntary retired list to the Devils reserve list and would be Devils property, giving them the first chance at signing him to a new contract.
So if the rumours are true, Kovalchuk could be back on the Devils鈥� top line for the opening game of the year in October of 2016.
Should fans want him back?
He鈥檚 an electrifying player, an offensive catalyst who can make the highlight reel on any given night.
But he turned his back on the NHL, leaving to go play in the KHL, which is falling apart due to Russia鈥檚 awful economy and a tumbling currency.
In September of 2013, about 33 Russian rubles would buy one U.S. dollar.
Now that price has nearly doubled, as it takes around 58.7 rubles to buy one U.S. dollar.
Do the pros outweigh the cons?
I say yes, because of Kovalchuk鈥檚 history as one of the top scorers in the league.
Scoring is down in the NHL this year; there won鈥檛 be a 100-point getter this year.
There might not even be a 90-point scorer this year, unless one of the top scorers goes on a nearly two-points-per-game run for the final two weeks of the season.
The Devils certainly want him back, they're third-last in scoring this season.
NHL fans should want Ilya Kovalchuk back too, and they just might get him in 2016.
