Boston Bruins: Is signing Ilya Kovalchuk the right move?

When Ilya Kovalchuk first returned to the NHL prior to the 2018-19 season, the Boston Bruins were one of the teams interested in acquiring the former first overall draft pick. A year and a half later, the Bruins once again have a chance to sign the sniper.

It’s no secret that the Boston Bruins are looking for a winger to solidify their second line. It’s also no secret that the Bruins have had an interest in Ilya Kovalchuk ever since it was announced that he was planning to return to the NHL. Ultimately, Kovalchuk chose to sign with the Los Angeles Kings, but after his contract was recently terminated by the Kings there are rumours that the Bruins could be in on the 36-year-old winger once again.

Looking back on it now, Kovalchuk’s contract with the Kings proved to be a decision that can be considered as a failure for both sides. For the Kings, they dished out a pretty big contract to bring Kovalchuk to LA and even without him on the roster, the team is still on the hook for that money.

For Kovalchuk, he definitely didn’t play up to the standard that many were accustomed to seeing from his first stint in the NHL and will likely end up signing for a contract worth well below the $6.25 million per year he had agreed to with the Kings.

At first glance, signing Kovalchuk seems to make a lot of sense for the Bruins. After rattling off an eight-game winning streak, the Bruins have posted a 1-4-2 record in their last seven games. The production from the ‘Perfection Line’ has dropped off a little bit and the secondary scoring hasn’t been able to pick up the slack. It would seem like signing a player with 436 NHL goals is a pretty good solution.

However, there’s more to hockey than just putting the puck in the net. In a recent article for The Athletic, Bruins reporter Fluto Shinzawa breaks down why Boston might be a bit hesitant to bring Kovalchuk into the mix.

Kovalchuk has never been known for his defensive efforts, but this season has been especially bad. The Kings were outscored 14-5 with Kovalchuk on the ice during 5-on-5 play during his 17 games this season. Part of the reason for this stat could be due to the fact that the Kings just simply aren’t a good team this year, but Kovalchuk also played sloppy defense on more than a few of these occasions.

At this point in his career, Kovalchuk would be best described as a low-risk, high-reward type of signing. The Bruins could use the offensive help, but Kovalchuk’s defensive play could cause the Bruins to pass on him altogether.

Besides, is Kovalchuk really a better option than a prospect such as Jack Studnicka? Kovalchuk had 19 goals in 81 games with the Kings, while Studnicka is leading AHL rookies with 13 goals so far with Providence this season. Why look outside of the organization for help that might already be there?

The biggest issue I see is exactly how Kovalchuk fits into the lineup. Is he still a top-six forward at this point in his career? It’s tough to tell. His numbers haven’t been great, but that’s usually how it goes when the whole team has a tough year.

If the Bruins play Kovalchuk in the bottom-six, will he be able to improve his game defensively to fit that role? And even if he does, that still leaves the Bruins in need of a second line winger. There are a lot of questions that GM Don Sweeney will need to find the answers to before making any decision.

Kovalchuk gets a lot of recognition for what he has done throughout his NHL career, and for good reason. He has recorded 859 points in 897 career games and was one of the best players in the league during his prime with the Atlanta Thrashers.

However, with the Bruins already in a bit of a salary cap struggle and with some young players showing promise, Boston might not need Kovalchuk after all.

Whether or not he signs with the Bruins, checking in to find out his asking price certainly wouldn’t hurt. If the price is right, Kovalchuk may still have something to offer after all.