Not a lot of things are going right for the Montreal Canadiens this season but the signing of Ilya Kovalchuk has been one of the few bright spots for the team. While it may be too little, too late for the team to make a serious run at the playoffs, the 36-year-old Kovalchuk has managed to find his way into Montreal's history book over his short time with them so far.
According to the league, Kovalchuk's five goals in his first 10 games with the team have only been beaten by three other players with the Habs in the last 30 years. Pierre Turgeon had 10 goals in his first 10 games with Montreal in 1994-95, while both Alex Tanguay (2008-09) and Brian Bellows (1992-93) each had six. Not a bad start for a guy making the league minimum that many believed would have trouble landing a spot in the NHL after having his contract with the L.A. Kings terminated in December.
Kovalchuk has a total of nine points (five goals, four assists) over his 10 games so far with Montreal. The question now becomes what the Canadiens should do with the veteran with the trade deadline coming up on February 24th. In order for the Habs to make the playoffs, they need to go on an absolute tear over the last 30 or so games they have left in the season. There have been rumblings GM Marc Bergevin could land as much as a 2nd round pick for Kovalchuk should he decide to deal him at the deadline. That's an interesting prospect for a team looking to build assets for the future, especially for a player many didn't expect much from.
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