- Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo! Sports: Source told Finland’s Iltalehti that Ilya Kovalchuk has had talks with SKA management about leaving the KHL to return to the NHL for the 2016-17 season. The report says that financial issues in the KHL could play a role in him leaving. Since Kovalchuk signed his voluntary retirement papers, he would need the approval of every NHL team or sit out an entire season. If he waited until the 2018-19 season, when he turns 35, he wouldn’t need approval to return.
- Renaud Lavoie: On the Kovalchuk rumors:
1) his former contract was terminated. He would need to sign a new deal.
2) Told Kovalchuk could return to Devils under specific circumstances. Would not necessarily require all 30 teams to vote.
3) The only way for Kovalchuk to become a UFA would be for him to sit out a full year.
4) If Kovalchuk were to return to the Devils, their penalty on the cap would be maintained.
- Andrey Osadcherko of FaceOffCircle: SKA VP Roman Rotenberg to Sportbox.ru on Kovalchuk.
“Kovalchuk’s contract with SKA is good for the next 2 years, so his coming back to the NHL next summer is out of the question, Rotenberg told Sportbox.Ru. Moreover, we plan to extend the contract with Ilya. That Finnish media outlet might have as well reported that some Russian soccer team will sign Leo Messi. We’re going to demand the newspaper to print disproof of the news.”
Kovalchuk’s agent Yuri Nikolayev.
“I don’t see any point discussing this ridiculous rumor spread by a Finnish newspaper, Nikolayev told Championat.Com. Kovalchuk’s contract with SKA ends on April 30th, 2017. I think, people just need something to talk about in between playoff series so this is where this is coming from.”