Per KHL reporter Igor Eronko, it appears as though the LA Kings and star winger Ilya Kovalchuk may be working toward terminating Kovalchuk's contract with the club.
Eronko also reports that Kovalchuk may have a lucrative offer from Omsk Avangard to return to the KHL, however, Ilya would prefer to remain in the NHL if he can find the right fit.
This is an enormous development. The Kings have been rumoured to be unhappy with some of their veteran players, even going so far as to question their ability to play at the NHL level during media scrums. While it doesn't necessarily mean that Kovalchuk was one of the intended targets of that harsh criticism, his rumoured contract termination looming would suggest that the Kings certainly did not view the Russian winger as a part of the solution in LA.
Kovalchuk has recorded just 43 points in 81 games since signing a lucrative 3-year, $18.75M deal, ahead of the 2018-19 season.
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