You know it’s the offseason when we’re discussing the seemingly annual New Jersey Devils and Ilya Kovalchuk rumors! Recently, reports have surfaced indicating that Kovy is on his way back to the NHL and John wrote an extended piece about it. Today, I look at the two options the Devils could explore: bringing him back into the fold, or signing and trading him.
Ilya Kovalchuk infamously left the New Jersey Devils after the lockout shortened 2012-13 season, citing a desire to retire from the NHL and return to playing in his native Russia. The remainder of his 15 year contract would be wiped off of the books, and the Devils would be left with scraps of the team that went to the Stanley Cup Finals just two years before.