So It Would Appear That Ilya Kovalchuk Still Very Much Has It
Just in case you need a little reminder, Ilya Kovalchuk has spent the past 5 years back in Russia playing in the KHL. This, of course, was just 3 years after signing a 17-year deal in New Jersey that was blocked by the NHL and then reduced to a 15-year contract. I swear that contract gets funnier every time I write about it. Anyhoo, if you listened to this week’s episode of Spittin Chiclets, you heard Ryan Whitney say that years spent playing in Russia are like dog years. However, I don’t think that’s the case if you’re actually Russian. It would make sense that going to the KHL would pretty much be the end of the line if you were a North American born player having to move to Russia and live there. But if you’re from Russia and you’re also pretty tight with Vladdy Putin? Well I’m willing to bet that Kovalchuk has been doing some shit over there that has been adding years to his career. We’re talkin’ Russian Gas here, folks.
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And the proof is in the pudding if you look at the numbers. I never really understood that phrase, ya know? Pudding is pretty underrated but how did it become the desert of choice to prove everything? Please do not put any proof in my pudding. Strictly chocolate with the occasional vanilla swirl. But I digress….His first few seasons in the KHL after leaving New Jersey were nothing special. Which, as a guy over the age of 30 who had just played through a pretty serious back injury his last year in the NHL, you’d expect to see out of a player on the decline. Bad back, entering his mid-30’s, playing in Russia, not putting up any numbers that scream “Kovy’s still got it”. If you were counting Ilya Kovalchuk out from making a return in 2015-16, that take was probably looking pretty solid at the time. But now? It is ice cold.
Because in his final 2 years in Russia, he put up 30+ goals in each of those seasons, had a 5-goal performance at the Olympics this past February, and now that he’s back in the NHL? Well he’s back to dancing entire teams again.
Poor Nic Hague. The last time Ilya Kovalchuk was playing in the NHL, he was just 15 years old. And now Kovy put him on a leash and walked him like a dog. In an unfortunate series of events, it would seem as if Ilya Kovalchuk’s lack of speed now as a 35-year-old making his return to the NHL after 5 years in Russia have been greatly exaggerated. And as great of a clip this was for Kovalchuk offensively, yikes was this bad for everybody on the ice for Vegas.
Probably not the best time to just go off for a line change if you’re Rielly Smith after getting torched by in the neutral zone. And then while Nic Hague is getting his introduction to the league, you’ve got 3 other guys going full broken controller out there just watching it happen. I know it’s just preseason but christ, fellas. Have a little respect for yourselves.
But yeah. Kovalchuk is back and it looks like he’s running on some premium Russian gas. Did Putin do it again or did Putin do it again?