Rumor: Two teams linked to a potential trade involving Russian superstar Ilya Kovalchuk.

You would be hard pressed to argue that the relationship between Russian superstar Ilya Kovalchuk and the Los Angeles Kings has been a successful one for either of the involved parties. 

The Los Angeles Kings were hoping that when they signed Kovalchuk they had acquired the dynamic scoring forward that had once recorded over 50 goals in a single season in the National Hockey League, but that was not to be. Instead they got a greatly diminished Kovalchuk who through his first 64 games as a Los Angeles King during the 2018 - 2019 NHL regular season recorded just 16 goals and 18 assists for a total of 34 points. The dynamic offense of Kovalchuk seemed to be a thing of the past and his plus minus rating of - 26 on the season suggested that his defensive prowess was not much better either.

On the other side of that same coin however was a frustrated forward who had expected to join a team that would contend for a Stanley Cup Championship, but the reality of the Kings last season was considerably uglier. The Kings finished dead last in their division last season winning just 31 of a possible 82 games on the season, a season that saw sweeping changes made to the Kings personnel both behind the bench and in the front office. It could not have been a happy time for Kovalchuk and now one NHL insider believes that it could lead to a parting of ways between the two sides.

In a recent piece for The Athletic, NHL insider Pierre LeBrun revealed that he believes Kovalchuk will be a likely trade candidate this season due to the current structure of his contract. LeBrun points to the fact that due to the signing bonus structure of Kovalchuk's contract there will be relatively little money to pay in the final 2 years of his deal, less than $5 million in real cash in fact, should he be traded after December 15th. It's true that Kovalchuk carries a cap hit of $6.25 million, but that will be a far cry from the actual cost a team takes on in acquiring the Russian star.

So who are the teams that could make a move to acquire Kovalchuk? Well LeBrun specifically pointed to the Boston Bruins and San Jose Sharks as potential suitors, two teams that previously had interest in Kovalchuk before he signed with the Kings. Unlike his first season in L.A. Kovalchuk is now off to a very strong start with 2 goals and 4 assists for a total of 6 points in his last 7 games, currently eclipsing the pace he set in the previous season. The issue of course for the Bruins and the Sharks will be the cap hit, and LeBrun admits that the Kings would likely have to retain some significant salary in order to make this deal a reality. 

It's worth noting that LeBrun also added that "a cash-conscious contender" could also take a look at the potential addition of Kovalchuk given the low cost of his contract, when compared to his cap hit, although he did not provide the names of any teams that would fit that description. Do you see Kovalchuk landing in either Boston or San Jose? How do you think a trade would work out for either of those franchises?