St. Louis Blues Among Teams Interested In Ilya Kovalchuk…Ugh

The St. Louis Blues are a team in need of some pure talent. However, their latest rumor has them after someone, perhaps, best left in the past.

There is no doubt the St. Louis Blues need some upgrading along the talent front. We all love the team, but even the most hardcore among us cannot deny the team needs more scoring and just more from the team as a whole.

There is talent on the Blues. They did not make it all the way to the 2016 Western Conference Finals and take down the Minnesota Wild the following year on luck alone. However, there just does not appear to be the kind of squad assembled to get the franchise over the hump as currently constructed.

Saying that, you would think any mention of goal scorers would be welcome with open arms. That might be true of the current rumor going around, but do not count this writer among those.

According to the rumor mill, and the player himself, Ilya Kovalchuk wants to return to the NHL. According to a fairly reliable source, Elliotte Friedman, the Blues are among three teams (possibly more) that are interested in the Russian.

If this was seven years ago or even four or five years ago, we would all be frothing at the mouth at such a possibility. 34 is not old – believe me, I know – but it is not young either.

Kovalchuk has been out of the NHL since 2012-13. Beyond just not playing in the NHL in over four seasons, the way he left was less than magnanimous.

Only two and a half years into a stunning 10-year contract, Kovalchuk suddenly got the itch to return to Russia. He gave up all the money he was getting from the New Jersey Devils and just “retired” to go play in the KHL.

Who is to say that he might not return for one season and get home sick again? Perhaps he won’t find the NHL as easy this time around and want to go back to being a star in his home country. Talent is one thing, but those are a lot of important ifs for someone you’re going to pay a lot of money.

That is another issue. There is no concrete answer as to what Kovalchuk would be paid.

He was due to make $10 million in 2017-18, with a cap hit of $6.6 million. That could be less since his contract was technically voided upon his retirement, but his cap hit could still reportedly be as high as $5-5.5 million.

Making matters more complicated is his rights being with the Devils for one more year. The Blues would have to clear space to afford both Colton Parayko and Kovalchuk anyway, but there are no guarantees.

With only one season remaining until he could be a free agent, he might turn down a trade and return to the KHL. In that scenario, the Blues would not lose any pieces but you alienate whomever you tried to deal away.

Another thing that makes this rumor odd is the idea it came about because of Martin Brodeur.  The connection is them being teammates, but Brodeur was there when he left the team high and dry.  Is he willing to roll the dice with someone that could do that simply hoping for the talent to still be there?

Lastly, though 34 is not old, you have to wonder how much is left. Goal scorers have a way of simply falling off the face of the Earth instead of fading gracefully.

Kovalchuk still has talent, but he has already been diminishing. His last two full NHL seasons saw him score in the 30’s after being a consistent 40-50 goal scorer.

Fans hoping for this move will point out the Blues could use another 30 goal scorer. That is true, but you’re still rolling the dice that you even get 30 for that salary.

Kovalchuk’s stats in the KHL have been up and down as well. He has had years of 16, 25, 16 and 32 goals. That is not exactly the kind of consistency you would want from someone you would be hoping to be a top-line scorer.

What would the Blues be expected to give up? The NY Post article makes it sound like the Devils would be willing to take picks from other teams and want more in return from the Rangers.

The Blues do have some extra picks this year, so that might be acceptable. Sending only picks would likely not clear enough space, even after losing a player to Las Vegas though.

We all want the Blues to be the best possible team. If they got the Kovalchuk that could still take players on, score a big goal and help free space for Vladimir Tarasenko, they should do it. In my gut, I do not believe that is the player they would get.

Usually I try to leave team history out of these scenarios, but it is hard to do so. The Blues have bad luck and would likely get someone only capable of reaching 20 goals and 50 points.

Next: Blues Must Be Careful With Colton Parayko's Free Agency

There are other players out there capable of those numbers. Those players might cost less or be younger.

If you want Kovalchuk in a blue note, by all means get excited. I’m not here to stop you. I just don’t think it will happen, nor think it should either.

The combination of age, contract questions and probability of production just make it something the Blues would be better off without.