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Boston Bruins: Could Ilya Kovalchuk be a fit on the second line?

By Cameron Burgess

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 19: Ilya Kovalchuk #17 of the Los Angeles Kings celebrates with the bench after scoring a second-period goal against the Calgary Flames during the game at STAPLES Center on October 19, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NHLI via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 19: Ilya Kovalchuk #17 of the Los Angeles Kings celebrates with the bench after scoring a second-period goal against the Calgary Flames during the game at STAPLES Center on October 19, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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The Boston Bruins have looked nearly unstoppable through the first month of the season, but that doesn’t mean they should stop their search for a permanent second-line winger.

It feels like the Boston Bruins have been searching for somebody to play right wing on David Krejci‘s line for a few seasons now. While their salary cap situation has certainly made things difficult, it would be wise for the Bruins to check in on the status of Ilya Kovalchuk.

The Los Angeles Kings have fallen a long way since their last Stanley Cup victory in 2014. With a record of 4-8-0 to start the season, the Kings currently find themselves in 29th place in the NHL standings. If the Kings front office decides that the time to start a rebuild is now, there could be a handful of veteran players available on the trade market.

When it became certain that Kovalchuk would return to the NHL after a five-year hiatus, the Bruins were one of the teams that had a strong interest in the former first overall pick. While he ultimately decided to sign in Los Angeles on a three-year deal worth $6.25 million per season, Kovalchuk hasn’t lived up to his contract so far. He finished last season with 34 points in 64 games but has gotten off to a better start this time around with eight points in 13 games.

As is the case with any hypothetical Bruins trade, the salary cap becomes an issue. It likely means that any trade would have to include sending David Backes to a new team, but would the Kings be willing to take on his contract? According to CapFriendly, Los Angeles has just under $5.2 million in cap space, and Kovalchuk actually makes slightly more per season than Backes does, so it could work from that standpoint. Both players are under contract through the end of next season, but with Kovalchuk being more productive, the Bruins would likely have to add in a pick or prospect to sweeten the deal.

At that point, would it really be worth it to trade for Kovalchuk? The Bruins need some cap relief, so would the 36-year-old really be a better option than giving ice time to someone like Anders Bjork? The Bruins have plenty of young players waiting for their shot in the NHL, and all of them come cheaper than Kovalchuk.

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Luckily, the Bruins are in no rush to make any changes. They’re at the top of the NHL standings, while David Pastrnak has been the leading scorer throughout the entire league so far. While there is no immediate need to improve their roster right now, checking in on Kovalchuk certainly couldn’t hurt.

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