Friedman says Maple Leafs could be a possibility for Ilya Kovalchuk

According to a report from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Ilya Kovalchuk still would like to return to the NHL and — if all goes well — the Toronto Maple Leafs could be a possibility for him.

Earlier this week there were reports from Europe suggesting former New Jersey Devils forward Ilya Kovalchuk will stay in the KHL and not return to the NHL. According to Slava Malamund, SKA Saint Petersburg, which is who Kovalchuk plays for in the KHL, said the 34-year-old wants to play in the Olympics.

Kovalchuk had no comment on the matter, but SKA board chairman Alexander Medvedev said the two sides are talking contract and Kovalchuk wants to stay.

Since nothing ever seems to be simple or straightforward with Kovalchuk, it shouldn’t surprise you that another report surfaced on Saturday night during Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals suggesting the dynamic Russian forward still wants to return to the NHL.

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According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, word out of the NHL Scouting Combine is that Kovalchuk is “still very much interested in playing in the NHL next season.” Here’s what Friedman had to say during Saturday’s Headlines on Hockey Night in Canada.

"“There were reports this week that Ilya Kovalchuk would stay in the KHL and not come back to North America. Word out of the Scouting Combine is that is not the case, that Kovalchuk is still very interested in playing in the NHL next season.”"

No surprise here, Kovalchuk is still interested in coming back. However, what Friedman said next caught the attention of Toronto Maple Leafs fans.

"“I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the interest comes from people who know him. Maybe like a Peter DeBoer in San Jose, Martin Brodeur in St. Louis, possibly even a Lou Lamoriello in Toronto. It’s a complex deal because of New Jersey and getting him signed, but the word is that teams are saying Kovalchuk still wants to come to North America.”"

Kovalchuk returning to the NHL is an extremely complicated situation that not only has to go through New Jersey since they own his rights, but it also needs to be approved by the owners. So any sign-and-trade ideas involving Kovalchuk need to be put on hold until he resolves things with the Devils first, and that can’t officially happen until after July 1.

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The fact that Friedman mentioned the Maple Leafs as a possibility for Kovalchuk is still interesting, though. There’s obviously a ton of familiarity between Toronto general manager Lou Lamoriello and Kovalchuk, since Lamoriello was the man who brought Kovalchuk to New Jersey in 2010 and infamously gave him a 17-year extension, and you would think Lamoriello is one of the people who might actually get a straight answer from Kovalchuk. I mean, if a GM handed you a 17-year extension worth $102 million, you would probably be straight up with them, right? Perhaps it’s naive to think that on my part, but I do think Kovalchuk has a level of respect for Lamoriello.

Considering how complex any deal involving Kovalchuk would be, I’m not going to further speculate on what the cost to acquire him might be or anything of that nature. For the time being, it’s just an interesting tidbit of news from Friedman and a lot still has to happen before Kovalchuk even returns to the NHL.

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For what it’s worth, though, the Toronto Sun’s Steve Simmons says the Maple Leafs “have no interest” in Kovalchuk. Either way, the magic words of “Toronto” and “Kovalchuk” have been said, so brace yourself… the Kovalchuk rumours are coming.