Report: Former superstar should never be allowed to return to the NHL.

Although his talent level can not be questioned, there is one particular superstar that should be banned from ever returning to the NHL. That star player is current KHLer Ilya Kovalchuk. The former Atlanta Thrasher and New jersey Devil has the skill to compete on all levels, as he has proven many times in the past. Many teams would jump at the chance to re-sign such a skillful forward, and rightly so. Drafted first overall in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft by the Atlanta Thrashers, Kovalchuk was nominated for the Calder Memorial Trophy as league rookie-of-the-year. He is a three-time NHL All-Star and won the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy as the league’s leading goal-scorer in 2004 in a three-way tie with Jarome Iginla and Rick Nash. Kovalchuk has played for Russia in the IIHF World U18 Championship, World Junior Championship, World Championship, World Cup and Winter Olympics, and was highlighted by back-to-back gold medals in the 2008 and 2009 World Championship. He recently won an additional silver medal at the World Championships in 2015. Kovalchuk has tallied 417 goals and 816 points in 816 games in total in the NHL and is the fifth highest scoring Russian in NHL history. Impressive to say the least. So you may ask yourself, why shouldn't he be allowed to return the the NHL if he so wishes? The answer is simple. The man has done irrevocable harm to his reputation, both on and off the ice. In a surprise move, Kovalchuk called it an NHL career with $77 million left on his contract with the New Jersey Devils in 2013. Although he signed retirement papers, Kovalchuk never really retired. He’ll enter his fourth and apparently final season with SKA Saint Petersburg of the KHL next year. After he left his former team holding the bag because of his sudden exodus, the NHL penalized the Devils for trying to circumvent the NHL salary cap with Kovalchuk’s original contract. As a result, the Devils surrendered $3 million, a third round draft choice in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft and one future first round draft choice within the next four seasons. The Devils decided to use their first round draft pick in the 2011 and 2012 NHL Entry Drafts, and were to surrender their first round pick in 2014. On March 6, 2014, however, the NHL announced they would forgive part of the $3 million fine and grant the Devils the 30th pick in the first round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. The reason for his exodus from the NHL was simple. Kovalchuk claimed that he desired to return home to Russia along with his family, though it is speculated that money had quite an influence as well, due to the higher total salary Kovalchuk will receive in Russia via the far lower Russian tax rate compared to the U.S. However, with the crash of the Russian ruble in December 2014, however, that no longer remains the case, and Kovalchuk’s tax-effected NHL salary would be greater than his KHL proceeds. While leaving the NHL for a chance to make more money elsewhere is more than understandable, there are many other indiscretions to Kovalchuk's name, most coming within this last year. The 34 year-old has undeniably hurt his stock by first attempting to injure one of his good friends and Team Russia teammate Alexander Radulov during a KHL playoff game earlier this year. Here is a video of the incident: An act like this one would not be tolerated in the NHL. A lumberjack slash to the ankles of an opponent is unforgivable, especially when you commit such a violent act on someone you consider a countrymen and a peer. Kovalchuk's latest indiscretion occurred during the 2015 IIHF World  Championship tournament, when the Russian team left the ice prior to the Canadian National anthem being played. Although fellow Russians such as Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin attempted to stop their teammates from leaving the ice surface during the tradition, their team captain, Kovalchuk, proceeded to coax most of the team off of the ice in disgust at their lopsided loss. Grace in defeat is a quality that all fans can appreciate and Kovalchuk clearly has none of that. Due to his actions, the Russian Hockey Federation will reportedly receive sanctions for the classless gesture. Here is the incident at the World Championships: Fans, coaches, teammates and organizations would gladly take a talented phenom like Kovalchuk back to the NHL, would any of these incidents happened not to occur. They would be taking a risk, but some teams would think it was worth the stretch. Kovalchuk is contemplating an NHL return after the end of his current KHL contact in 2017, and seems confident that his wish will be granted. Unfortunately for Kovy, his return to the NHL will prove to be tricky business. All 30 teams will have to approve his return, which may be a decision organizations would be reluctant to make after these recent transgressions. Especially the New Jersey Devils, who may hold a grudge. He may be a star player, but his conduct is not befitting of an NHLer. That is why he should never be allowed back to the NHL.