Former NHL star Ilya Kovalchuk is reportedly interested in a return to the league after leaving the New Jersey Devils in 2013 to play in the Kontinental Hockey League. Kovalchuk retired from the NHL and walked away from a $100 million contract to play in Russia, but now he may want to return.
Kovalchuk is dealing with some issues with his KHL team, SKA, and wants to come back to the U.S. Kovalchuk has reportedly been benched by SKA and was stripped of his captaincy while the team was participating in the playoffs. The 32-year-old originally left the Devils just three years after signing a 15-year, $100 million contract.
The former Devils star may have some complications to deal with if he wants to return to the league. NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said that there are "a lot of different rules that apply to his situation," referring to the guidelines of the collective bargaining agreement. The agreement states that if a player wants to return from retirement, the player "must get approval to do so from all 30 of the league's owners" and also needs to clear waivers.
If the Devils are interested in bringing back Kovalchuk, there is a chance that the team can avoid that. The collective bargaining agreement also states that a player can move from the "Voluntarily Retired List" to the "Reserve List at any time after the expiry of one year from the date of registration...by filing any currently valid contract, option, or try-out." If the Devils explored things through that rule, Kovalchuk could return without the approval of the rest of the league.
But would the Devils want a Kovalchuk reunion? General manager Ray Shero said that he has not "heard anything" regarding Kovalchuk and did not give any hints about whether the team would want the forward back. Kovalchuk signed a $40 million deal in Russia that was tax-free, but things have not quite worked out as expected while playing for SKA St. Petersburg. If Kovalchuk returns, then there is a chance that he would have to play under his old deal, which would be a $6.67 million cap hit.
That price could be too high for the Devils, and it's unclear if the team even wants to bring back Kovalchuk. The team is going through some major changes, and there is currently a new owner and general manager with the franchise from when Kovalchuk left. Kovalchuk previously had 89 goals and 201 points in 222 games for the team, and in his career, he has scored over 400 goals in the NHL.
