San Jose Sharks

Sharks among teams interested in Ilya Kovalchuk
June 5, 2017, 11:53 AM ET [6 Comments]
Steve Palumbo
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The Ilya Kovalchuk saga has taken so many twists and turns that I'm ready to grab the Dramamine and call it a day.

In a matter of weeks Kovalchuk has been rumored to want a return to the NHL, stay in the KHL, NHL, KHL, NHL and on and on and on.


It finally appears that the former 50-goal scorer will be making his triumphant return to the NHL next season.

The only question is... "with what team?"


One destination might be your very own San Jose Sharks. I mentioned this in one of my blogs a couple weeks back and according to several reports the Sharks are among a handful of teams interested in acquiring the winger.

"Kovalchuk thrived under Deboer and developed into a solid two-way force. Kovalchuk helped lead an over-achieving Devils team to the Stanley Cup Final. The 34-year-old would indeed inject much needed firepower into the Sharks 19th ranked offense. Additionally, adding a Kovalchuk to the 25th ranked power play would be an instant upgrade. The Devils had one of the leagues most dangerous PP units with Kovalchuk blistering shots from the top of the circle.

Before re-signing with New Jersey, Kovalchuk nearly inked a deal with Los Angeles - adding intrigue to the idea that a highly competitive warm weather team would be attractive to the KHL defector and his family."


Kovalchuk shocked the NHL and tore the hearts out of the New Jersey Devils when he bolted for the KHL three seasons into a 15 years $100 million deal. The loss of Kovalchuk and Zach Parise toppled the once mighty Devils.

Today New Jersey owns the first overall pick in the upcoming draft and Kovalchuk's rights. The Devils can sign Kovalchuk after July 1 and then send him packing to another club for a bevy of much needed assets.

The New York Post says "more than a half-dozen clubs” have expressed interest in the 34-year-old winger. The San Jose Sharks are on that list along with the Rangers, Blues and Maple Leafs.

Kovalchuk has history with former Devils' and current Sharks' head coach Pete Deboer and the two could be reunited in the Bay Area.

While I like the idea of this happening I don't think San Jose has enough of what New Jersey is looking for. The Sharks offense struggled at times with several key players having down years. The lack of offense spilled into the playoffs and led to a bitterly short playoff year. Kovalchuk can help in this area but at what cost?

The Devils are going for the best haul of talent that is both young and can help now. New Jersey needs a little of everything and San Jose may not have enough of what NJ wants. Besides, would SJ really be willing to part with some of their youngsters?

With less than a month until the start of free agency, expect more and more stories like this to surface whether they make sense or not.

Stay tuned...