On Sunday, December 15th, we'll likely know whether Ilya Kovalchuk will remain in the NHL or head to the KHL. He may also decide to play for another team other than the L.A. Kings in North America. As TSN's Pierre LeBrun explains, Kovalchuk will receive bonus money from the Kings on Sunday. If his contract had been terminated before then, he would not have gotten the bonus.
"Kovalchuk made the trip with the Kings to Pittsburgh. His last payable bonus goes Sunday ($2.65 million)," said LeBrun on Twitter. "After that, it's up to him if he wants to leave the Kings or not, and if he does he'd be in breach of his NHL contract, paving way for LAK to put him on unconditional waivers."
"If they part ways, Kings would no longer have to pay him next year's $4.25 M salary but still be on the hook for the $6.25 M cap hit. But again, depends on what Kovalchuk wants to do. His agent J.P. Barry expected to touch base with LAK on Sunday/Monday."
You can't really blame Kovalchuk for sticking around long enough to get his bonus, even if he doesn't necessarily need it. At this point, it seems pretty clear he won't be staying with the Kings one way or the other. He's been a healthy scratch for several games this season. If his contract is terminated, he's free to sign wherever he wants. According to Igor Eronko, he already has a lucrative offer from Omsk Avangard of the KHL, but it seems Kovalchuk enjoys the North American lifestyle. There's no question no team wants him at what he's currently being paid. However, if he's willing to take much less, he could certainly provide scoring depth for an already competitive team. We should find out in the next couple of days.
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