The Los Angeles Kings’ Ilya Kovalchuk experiment has ended

A little more than a season into his return to the NHL, Ilya Kovalchuk has reportedly been granted his release by the Los Angeles Kings.

Ilya Kovalchuk was made a healthy scratch by the Los Angeles Kings Tuesday night. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported the team told the veteran forward he would not be in the lineup for the foreseeable future, but was welcome to practice.

On Wednesday, according to The Hockey News, Kovalchuk will be granted his release by the Kings.

Kovachuk came back to the NHL in July of 2018, signing a three-year, $18.75 million deal with the Kings. He has spent the previous five seasons in the KHL back home in Russia, and started nicely with 14 points in his first 14 games for the Kings last season.

But a coaching change in November of 2018, from John Stevens to Willie Desjardins, brought a reduced role for Kovalchuk. He was a healthy scratch at times, barely played when he did get in the lineup and was mostly left off the power play, where his scoring skills could have helped. Kovalchuk did not like Desjardins’ deployment of him, and he finished with 34 points in 64 games last season.

Under new coach Todd McLellan, Kovalchuk had six points (two goals, four assists) in his first four games this season. He has faded since, with one goal and three points over his last 13 games as he’s also seen less than 15 minutes of ice time in six of those 13 contests.

Since his contract is a 35-plus deal, the Kings will be on the hook for whatever’s left of his salary cap hit if they buy him out or release him. That’s $6.25 million per year, and as Adam Gretz of Pro Hockey Talk pointed out, the Kings can only release him if he agreed to walk away from the remaining money he is owed. He’s also got a no-move clause and a modified no-trade clause, which could limit where he could go in a trade.

Kovalchuk is due the remainder of his signing bonus money ($5.3 million) on Dec. 15. After that, a team that traded for him would only be responsible for the prorated portion of his $700,000 salary for this year. He’ll also carry a base salary of $4.25 million next year.

Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic has suggested the Kings-Kovalchuk situation is fluid.

If the Kings are trying to get Kovalchuk to waive his no-trade clause, or find another suitable solution, those discussions appear to be happening. The team may have to retain some cap hit to move him to another team, but it seems possible even with what will surely be a limited market. In the grand scheme of bad contracts, the Kings can surely find a team to take on what’s left of Kovalchuk’s deal after Dec. 15.

Kovalchuk could return to the KHL, or retire as a player altogether at 36 years old. He is all but surely done with the Kings, but he doesn’t necessarily have to be done in the NHL or as a hockey player just yet.