Ilya Kovalchuk lands new contract, returns to play!

After a two-year absence from the game, former NHL star forward Ilya Kovalchuk is making a return, signing a one-year contract with the KHL’s Spartak Moscow.

The 40-year-old has not played at all since his playoff run with Avangard Omsk in 2020-21 that ended in a Gagarin Cup championship.

Prior to that, Kovalchuk had last played in the KHL back in 2017-18 after his highly controversial exit from the New Jersey Devils. He returned to the KHL in 2020-21 after two seasons in the NHL split between three teamsLos Angeles Kings, Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitals. The three-time NHL All-Star also played for the Atlanta Thrashers and the Devils, teams he spent the bulk of his career with.

Kovalchuk is joining a top contender of the KHL in Spartak, who currently sits at the top of the KHL’s Western Conference. He gets to join an already impressive roster that included star Nikolay Goldobin, a former NHLer who currently has 53 points in just 40 KHL games.

This new contract extends Kovalchuk’s playing career and could get fans excited in the NHL about a potential return in North America. Who knows?

Let’s see how Kovalchuk, who also won an Olympic gold medal in 2018 while representing the unofficial Russian team, will do on KHL ice with his new club.

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