After returning to the NHL for a brief tenure with the Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitals in 2020, Ilya Kovalchuk is giving professional hockey another shot.
It was revealed Wednesday that Kovalchuk, 40, has signed a KHL contract with Spartak Moscow, the team he last played for in 2001, for the remainder of the 2023-24 season.
Kovy is back. pic.twitter.com/ukkaUfp9Wi
— KHL (@khl_eng) December 6, 2023
This marks Kovalchuk’s fourth stint in the KHL, initially joining during the 2012 NHL lockout.
Selected first overall by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 2001 NHL Draft, the former NHL All-Star was one of the most electrifying forwards of the 2000s. With an impressive career spanning 15 seasons with various teams, the Tver, Russia, native scored 443 goals, achieving the 50-goal mark twice, over 926 NHL games.
Following a brief return to the NHL from 2018-2020, where he played with the Kings (17 games), Canadiens (22 games), and Capitals (seven games), the veteran is now set to return to the Russian league after his last stint with Avangard Omsk during the 2020-21 season.
Despite getting up there in age, Kovalchuk’s last KHL campaign saw him net five goals and 17 points over just 16 games.
If he can sustain even half that pace, he’ll remain a valuable player for his old club for months (maybe years) to come.
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