Montreal Canadiens: Who is Jan Kovar and is there a chance to sign him?

Transitioning to the NHL

The thing about Kovar’s production is that it’s coming from the KHL. But we can get an idea of what they would look like in the NHL using an NHLe converter. The conversion uses a translation factor taking into account the player’s point-per-game rate in that league.

Using Jason Arbuthnot’s NHLe Calculator, here are Kovar’s estimated point totals:

• 2013-14: 76 points
• 2014-15: 68 points
• 2015-16: 54 points
• 2016-17: 64 points
• 2017-18: 39 points

However, this doesn’t necessarily account for the increased quality of competition. But many believe that Kovar is an NHL player and can fit in a team’s top nine. The question is whether there is a fit with the Montreal Canadiens and also, if they’re even an option for the Czech native.

Place in the Lineup

Ideally, any team would be singing Kovar to play centre. Insulting him would be the best way to go as it’ll be a learning curve for him. There is a chance that he starts on an AHL team, but it seems like Kovar is set to play in the NHL next season.

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The Habs don’t have space down the middle (ironically). Jonathan Drouin, Phillip Danault (one he’s signed), and Tomas Plekanec are the team’s top three centres. Jacob de La Rose will most likely be pushed down to the fourth line with the return of the 35-year-old.

Kovar could start on the third line instead which would have de La Rose on the wing, but there’s still a good deal of congestion. Additionally, I doubt he would change leagues and countries to play 10 minutes a night when he averaged 20:44 over his KHL career. But he should and will be given every opportunity to play higher in the lineup with the Montreal Canadiens if he proves that he can handle it.

Drouin playing on the wing settles some of the logjam issues. Kovar has lined up with skilled players over his career, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him collaborate well with the team’s offensive forwards.