25 top NHL free agents teams will be dying to sign in 2018

5. Ilya Kovalchuk

Artemi Panarin, Alexander Radulov, Nikita Zaitsev, Evgenii Dadonov and now Ilya Kovalchuk. It seems like there’s at least one notable signing from the KHL every offseason, whether it’s a young talent looking to prove himself in a new setting or a proven NHL commodity trying to make a comeback on his own terms.

Kovalchuk, like Radulov, falls into the latter category. We’ve seen him compete in this league, and he wants to give it one more go at a time when it seemed like we’d never see him again. They’re both loose cannons but are elite goalscorers that can help a team…so long as you don’t commit long-term to them.

Why he’s in demand: We thought Kovalchuk’s return was going to happen last year, but with the ruling that NHL players weren’t allowed to compete in the Olympics, it was for the best. Even though he’s 35, and it’s been five years since he’s played on a North American ice surface, Kovalchuk can contribute to an NHL team. There is always a market for pure goalscorers like him, and he can easily chip in a 20-goal season right away. But the honeymoon phase that comes when your favorite team signs him might be over in a hurry.

Teams with the best chance to sign him: The New York Rangers remain the favorites to sign Kovalchuk, since it’s been reported that GM Jeff Gorton has already made contact with SKA Saint Petersburg. But for a team that traded away almost all of its core pieces last season and is trying to get younger, that’s not exactly the best course of action.

With Lou Lamoriello now on the Islanders and Don Waddell on the Hurricanes, it has also been speculated that he could join one of those two:

Lamoriello’s trade, and 15-year contract for Kovalchuk, sunk his tenure in New Jersey. It would be quite the story if it marked the beginning of his demise in Long Island, as well.