Ilya Kovalchuk, once the No.1 pick at the NHL draft, signed a two-way deal with the Montreal Canadiens. The Russian winger and the franchise clinched a one-year contract worth $700,000 for the NHL and ten times fewer for the AHL level.
It is a win-win situation for both sides, as Kovalchuk searched for a place to revive his career that severely deteriorated since Willie Desjardins arrived in Los Angeles.
Up until that point, the winger had solid stats following his comeback to the NHL, but it seems that he and the newly appointed coach at the time had many disputes. He would continue to underachieve even after Desjardins’ departure and in 17 games this season, once a Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy winner, scored just three goals and had 6 assists. Therefore the franchise from LA and the Russian decided to part ways.
“We have nothing to lose, we’ll see, where he’s at, where his game is at,” Marc Bergevin, Montreal’s GM said to the reporters. “It’s going to be up to him.”
Right now, the Canadiens are struggling with injuries. The latest blow was Brandan Gallagher’s concussion, which forced the team to place him on the injured reserve list. Another winger is hurt too, Joel Armia, and his condition has been evaluated from week to week. Paul Byron and Jonathan Drouin are also out, meaning two more wingers are sidelined. Matthew Peca is day-to-day.
So, all in all, Claude Julien has massive problems in preparing his team for the upcoming challenges. That is why the management had to react and bring some new faces to the locker room. Apart from Kovalchuk, Montreal landed defenceman Marco Scandella from the Sabres.
The team is currently seven points behind the Philly Flyers who are occupying the last wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. There is still time for improvement, but with all the injuries and bad luck, the Canadiens had to react now, as they find themselves in a critical position.
The crew from Montreal needs to stay in the race for the playoffs until January 19. It is very important for them not to allow some meltdowns before, as their week off starts on that date. Bergevin stated that those seven days would mean a lot for the squad to heal and rest. Also, the injured players are projected to come back after that period, and the Canadiens will look much better at the end of the month.
“I don’t think we’re out of the race, but we want to hang in there until our week off, until the injured come back,” he said.
Kovalchuk’s presence on the ice will be precious as he knows how to handle matters in certain situations. Despite him being a 36-year old veteran who didn’t play very well in the recent past, his skills can’t be doubted.
He was frustrated with the way things developed with the Kings and the overall atmosphere there. Meanwhile, the playoff battle in Canada could be inspiring for the Russian, who wants to prove that he still has what it takes to compete in the NHL. It wouldn’t be wise to debate about Kovalchuk’s quality, because back in 2018, he won the MVP award at the Olympic Games hockey tournament, leading the Russian players to a gold medal.
