If Kovalchuk came back right now..

[Akrapovince]

Little under quarter way into the season,

New Jersey’s offense looks wild.

What impact would a perennial 30 goal scorer have? And what is the deal with his current contract and situation anyways.

Would love to see him in blue and orange.
Kovalchuk - McDavid - Draisatl?

Sounds like it would have the potential to be the best 30 million cap hit line in the NHL lol.

Thoughts and opinions on his return?
(sorry in advance if this is the wrong section)

Click to read more...

 

[ICanMotteBelieveIt]

If Kovalchuk came back now, then he'd be an NHL player.


He will never come back though.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

If Kovalchuk came back now, then he'd be an NHL player.


He will never come back though.

He's 35 in April, which means he's UFA and can sign with whichever team he wants next summer. He's also supposedly stated this is his last KHL season. The guy could come back and probably play 3 seasons at least and still be fairly effective and I am willing to bet there would be quite a few teams willing to take that risk with him.

He's putting up points at a 1.2ppg pace, a little less than last year, but still on pace for 70pts in 60 games in the KHL. A guy with that kind of talent, will still be an effective NHL'er.

I would wager that he was willing to come back this year, but because the Devils owned his rights for this season, not a lot of teams were willing to deal for it and him being able to pick his spot is more important. He says he still has some dreams left in the NHL (Winning the Cup), so I would guess he's keeping a keen eye on who makes the playoffs this year, who wins, has the cap space and the potential for him to win.

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

Let him stay in Russia or wherever.

Good riddance.

 

[Jumptheshark]

If Kovalchuk came back now, then he'd be an NHL player.


He will never come back though.

Yep he has used the NHL threat several times to get a better deal in the k

 

[Vikke]

Let him stay in Russia or wherever.

Good riddance.

Yeah, I'd rather see good ol Canadian kids like Tom Sestito play hockey!

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

Yeah, I'd rather see good ol Canadian kids like Tom Sestito play hockey!

At least they don't jump ship.

 

[biturbo19]

Kovalchuk coming back at this point wouldn't be the same gamebreaker he was. He'd be like adding a nice 20-25G scorer, and an extra boost to a powerplay somewhere. Would be a huge "deadline acquisition". But overall, not the sort of player who can still completely change the landscape of a playoff picture anymore.

 

[SlapshotTheMovie]

At least they don't jump ship.

show me on the doll where Kovalchuk doing whats best for his family and future hurt you...

 

[glovesave_35]

I hope he does come back. He is one of my favorite players to watch.

 

[pheasant]

If Kovalckuk came back right now, he'd be like a slightly worse version of Dadonov in Florida. That's a really, really close comparable right now.

Not the best player on his team, and not a superstar. But he could really catch fire, win you games, and contribute. I hope he comes back. Game changer, but not a franchise changer.

 

[njdevil26]

Just because fantasizing is fun:

Hall-Zajac-Kovalchuk
Johansson-Hischier-Palmieri
Zacha-Henrique-Stafford
Bratt-Boyle-Gibbons/Wood/Coleman.

Yikes.

 

[SlapshotTheMovie]

Just because fantasizing is fun:

Hall-Zajac-Kovalchuk
Johansson-Hischier-Palmieri
Zacha-Henrique-Stafford
Bratt-Boyle-Gibbons/Wood/Coleman.

Yikes.

Pretty sure Kovalchuk would rather leave the NHL then ever play for the devils. Just a hunch... not based on history or anything.

 

[njdevil26]

Pretty sure Kovalchuk would rather leave the NHL then ever play for the devils. Just a hunch... not based on history or anything.

He had said he worried about how the fans would receive him if he came back to NJ. Here's the thing though. The guy is a mercenary. If Shero makes him an offer, he sees we're playing well, his checks are signed and clear on time, he'll show up.

He would end up signing for the Panthers or San Jose or Columbus... wherever the checks clear. He's made it known that money is his motivator.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

He had said he worried about how the fans would receive him if he came back to NJ. Here's the thing though. The guy is a mercenary. If Shero makes him an offer, he sees we're playing well, his checks are signed and clear on time, he'll show up.

He would end up signing for the Panthers or San Jose or Columbus... wherever the checks clear. He's made it known that money is his motivator.

No.

Here's the thing. He's 35yrs old, feels he wants to come back to accomplish one major goal he's left off of his bucket list, winning a cup At 35yrs old, the Devils would be a 3yr project to get that deep into the playoffs, that's not time he has. Realistically, he's probably going to look at teams that are vying for the Cup. The Pens, Hawks, Kings, etc.

He realistically has a 3-4yr window depending on how well he plays into the last half of his 30's. Unless the Devils make it to the ECF this year in some magical run, him returning to the Devils isn't happening.

 

[Eisen]

Just saying, the Devils were OK with him going, Kovalchuk was OK with going, so there is little reason to hold a grudge against anyone.

If he was in the NHL right now, I'd see him as a 30-35 goal scorer depending on the team.

 

[Balance]

He had said he worried about how the fans would receive him if he came back to NJ. Here's the thing though. The guy is a mercenary. If Shero makes him an offer, he sees we're playing well, his checks are signed and clear on time, he'll show up.

He would end up signing for the Panthers or San Jose or Columbus... wherever the checks clear. He's made it known that money is his motivator.

Unfortunately, Shero said he did not want Kovalchuk next year, stating that he'd have to sign somewhere else

I see Kovalchuk going to a cup contender next year

 

[Acallabeth]

Yep he has used the NHL threat several times to get a better deal in the k

Yeah, it's not like he's still on the same contract he signed in 2013

If Kovalckuk came back right now, he'd be like a slightly worse version of Dadonov in Florida. That's a really, really close comparable right now.

So Kovalchuk would suddenly become worse than Dadonov, who has been the inferior player all his life?

I think Kovy would sign for a contract similar to Radulov's tryout contract.

 

[SingnBluesOnBroadway]

What impact would a perennial 30 goal scorer have?

The perennial 30 goal scorer hasn't scored 30 in the NHL since 2011-2012....

 

[Jumptheshark]

Yeah, it's not like he's still on the same contract he signed in 2013


So Kovalchuk would suddenly become worse than Dadonov, who has been the inferior player all his life?

I think Kovy would sign for a contract similar to Radulov's tryout contract.

Dude--please check your facts before acting like a prat. The last 3 off seasons Kovey has used the threat of the NHL to get a better deal from the KHL teams he has played for

 

[pheasant]

[...]
So Kovalchuk would suddenly become worse than Dadonov, who has been the inferior player all his life?

I think Kovy would sign for a contract similar to Radulov's tryout contract.

Well Dadonov had been trending up and up in the KHL, and then found instant chemistry in Florida when he came here. Plus Dadonov is 28, Kovalchuk is 34. That's a big difference.

I'm not ripping Kovy here. Just think he would be on a similar lever. But the reasonable expectation is less, not more, than Dadonov.

 

[Acallabeth]

Dude--please check your facts before acting like a prat. The last 3 off seasons Kovey has used the threat of the NHL to get a better deal from the KHL teams he has played for

What deal would that be? How do you know these "facts" if the KHL salaries aren't public?

 

[Jumptheshark]

What deal would that be? How do you know these "facts" if the KHL salaries aren't public?

there were quite a few threads on KOVEY threatening to come back--only to decide after negotiations with the KHL--he was staying

if you are going to keep your head in the sand on these subjects then keep your head in the sand

three summers of this crap was enough for me

 

[Acallabeth]

there were quite a few threads on KOVEY threatening to come back--only to decide after negotiations with the KHL--he was staying

if you are going to keep your head in the sand on these subjects then keep your head in the sand

three summers of this crap was enough for me

Oh I see, so your "facts" were forum speculations. Too bad you were surprised 3 times that Kovalchuk's 4 year contract didn't instantly end when you wanted.

 

[NJDevils7]

He had said he worried about how the fans would receive him if he came back to NJ. Here's the thing though. The guy is a mercenary. If Shero makes him an offer, he sees we're playing well, his checks are signed and clear on time, he'll show up.

He would end up signing for the Panthers or San Jose or Columbus... wherever the checks clear. He's made it known that money is his motivator.

Where did he say this?