One of the most talented offensive threats in recent memory in the NHL has called it a career. Ilya Kovalchuk has retired from hockey at the age of 41. He played with many teams in an illustrious career in the NHL and KHL, including a short but entertaining stint with the Montreal Canadiens.
The Atlanta Thrashers
All the way back in 2001, Ilya Kovalchuk was drafted first overall by the Atlanta Thrashers. The Thrashers had debuted in the 1999 season, and let's just say it didn't start out well. They picked first overall in 1999, second overall in 2000, and then first overall in 2001.
Unfortunately the team never got out of that funk, and only made the playoffs once, and were swept out of the first round by the New York Rangers. This is despite having Calder Trophy winner Dany Heatley, and bonafide superstar Ilya Kovalchuk.
Because Kovalchuk came out of the gate flying with a 29 goal, 51 point rookie season in 65 games. And Kovalchuk would continue to get better, including winning the Rocket Richard Trophy in 2003-04 along with Rick Nash and Jarome Iginla, in the only three-way tie for the goal scoring leader for the season.
And Kovalchuk would continue to succeed, including two 52 goal seasons, but the Thrashers floundered. It was clear that the player and team would not be able to reach an agreement, and Kovalchuk was traded to the New Jersey Devils.
The New Jersey Devils
And it was in New Jersey that things took a turn for the strange. Since his debut, Kovalchuk had been one of the best scorers in the league, and would have plenty of suitors when he hit free agency. Undoubtedly he would garner a huge contract, but no one could foresee just how big the numbers would be.
The New Jersey Devils signed Ilya Kovalchuk to a 17 year, $102 million contract. To put that in perspective, the contract was signed in 2010, and it would have been still in effect for the next two years.
However, smartly, the contract was really top heavy. He would make $11.5 million between 2012-2017, and would make only $550,000 from 2022 to 2027. Which makes sense, since his production would naturally lessen as he aged. However, the league didn't like this circumvention, and put the kibosh on the deal.
So the deal was adjusted, making it an only 15 year deal, and the money was more evenly spread. The middle years would still be the heaviest paid, but his numbers on the books would still be in the millions at the end.
And if Kovalchuk kept up his numbers, the contract would be worth it. There aren't too many multiple 50 goal seasons. And in 2012, the Devils and Kovalchuk made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final, before losing to the L.A. Kings.
However, franchise goalie Martin Brodeur was towards the end of his career, and that was the last gasp of the great Devils teams, and they would miss the playoffs in the next 10 of 12 years.
And the player that they just signed to an NHL record breaking contract would retire from the NHL far sooner than anyone would have thought.
Perhaps Kovalchuk read the room with the team that he had signed an unmoveable contract with. Maybe it was the higher dollar amount and lower taxes in Russia. Or it could be the decision to be closer to his family and home in Russia. But either way, Kovalchuk retired from the NHL in 2013.
Post NHL 'Retirement'
Kovalchuk signed immediately after his retirement with SKA St. Petersburg, and was the star in the KHL for 5 years in Russia, including winning the Gagarin Cup twice.
At this point, Kovalchuk had done almost everything that could be done, except one. He came within two games of it in 2012, but never got to raise the Stanley Cup. And in 2018, at the age of 35. He was still one of the biggest stars in Russia, and had multiple teams vying for his services.
He would eventually agree to a deal with the L.A. Kings, the same team that beat him and the Devils all those years ago. It was a bit odd, as the Kings were a team on the decline, but they did agree to give him 3 years and $6.25 million per year.
However, it didn't really work, and both Kovalchuk and the Kings struggled. John Stevens was the first head to roll, and Willie Desjardins was hired to replace him as head coach. And apparently Desjardins was not as big a fan of Kovalchuk, and Ilya was a healthy scratch multiple times before he was waived and his contract was terminated.
The Montreal Canadiens
After being cut from the L.A. Kings and a very lack-luster start to the 2019-20 season, no one really knew what the future would hold for Kovalchuk. Would he sign somewhere else in the NHL, or would he return to the KHL?
Well, the answer came in January of 2020, when he signed for the league minimum with the Montreal Canadiens.
And Kovalchuk went off.
The Habs were pretty bad that season, being hit with a ton of injuries to the likes of Jonathan Drouin, Brendan Gallagher and Joel Armia, which was likely why the team signed Kovalchuk. And he rewarded their belief in him almost immediately.
In his first 22 games, Kovalchuk scored 6 goals and 13 points. Hardly superstar numbers, but it was fantastic for a player that looked to be out of the league and was making league minimum. And check out those reactions from the team, the crowd and Kovalchuk himself. He revitalized everything.
But the Canadiens were trending to finish short of the playoffs, and to reward Kovalchuk for his stellar play, the Canadiens gave him one more chance to win the Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals.
It actually worked out very nice for the Canadiens, as they acquired Kovalchuk for nothing and flipped him for a third round pick. And, in fact, the Canadiens ended up trading that pick to the St. Louis Blues for Jake Allen, who played many great seasons with the Habs.
Unfortunately, it didn't work out for Kovalchuk and the Washington Capitals, and Kovalchuk would leave the NHL for good that season.
The next season, Kovalchuk went to KHL and joined the Avangard Omsk, where he won his third Gagarin Cup. Kovalchuk then took two years off before playing 20 games with Sportak Moscow, which it seems will be the last games of his illustrious career.
Although it was a short time, Ilya Kovalchuk's time with the Montreal Canadiens was a memorable one, and he had one of the most memorable careers in both the NHL and the KHL, if not for his fantastic on ice abilities, then his interesting contract history.