Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
As long as Ilya Kovalchuk is in Russia, there will be rumors of him coming back to the New Jersey Devils. Those rumors are never louder than right now, as the Devils missed the playoffs for the third straight season.
It came out last week that Kovalchuk was shooting for a return to the NHL starting in the 2016-17 season. The talks were sparked by the ongoing financial issues going on the Kontinental Hockey League.
So does that mean a reunion for the Devils is inevitable? There are many signs that point to that being true. According to the NHL rules, Kovalchuk would need the approval of all 30 NHL teams to become a free agent. Would he need that same approval to return to the Devils? According to one of the NHL by-laws, apparently they don’t. There is a rule that states if the player returns to his former team, he only has to wait one full calendar year from the time of his departure.
That last sentence will make many Devils fans happy. Just looking through message boards and social media sites, fans want his return.
Unfortunately, this isn’t a good situation to bring in that superstar.
Would Kovalchuk up the game, especially on the offensive side? Yes, of course, but at what price? The Devils are an organization that prides itself on being held to the highest standard. They don’t accept players who will hurt the brand. That is exactly what Kovalchuk does.
The Devils want to win, but does Kovalchuk? With the KHL losing teams left and right, it is possible nobody will be able to afford him. Now he wants to run off to the NHL, where a team will always be able to afford him.
Look at what Kovalchuk’s presence could do to the locker room. He left on these guys even though they believed he was going to be there for the long haul. He wasn’t there for his teammates. How are they going to react to him returning as if nothing ever happened?
There are many reasons why the Devils should go after Kovalchuk. He is a great player and a needed asset. However, he brings with him too much baggage. They need a superstar, but there has to be a better way to finding one than selling out and letting a quitter back into the league.
Nick Villano is the New Jersey Devils writer for Rant Sports. He also adds to the site’s NBA, MLB and NFL content. You can follow him on Twitter or add him to your Google circle.
