It's time for more Ilya Kovalchuk talk.
The Russian-born winger still hasn't made a decision on where he will play next season, leaving the Columbus Blue Jackets very much in the running.
Playing in the KHL the past few seasons, it is tough to evaluate how exactly he will perform this next season. The best way to try and do so is translating his points from the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) to the National Hockey League (NHL).
NHLe is a metric that is updated each year to try and translate various leagues to the NHL. Out of all of the leagues, the highest translation from league to league is the KHL to the NHL at .742 points.
Kovalchuk scored 78 points in 60 games this past year. Trying to translate that, it puts him just below 60 points. Does that really warrant long-term investment?
Travis Yost of TSN talks about this in his column about this very topic how with his production and age it could be a risky investment. Considering his production, a short-term invest isn't a bad idea. He also states how elite scorers seem to break the mold and don't decline as quickly as other players.
Whoever plays with Kovalchuk is going to need to be a passer that has the ability to find him anywhere on the ice. Wennberg is a great passer and another fantastic winger could take his production to the next level. Kovalchuk is the definition of a player that you get out of the way of and let him do his work.
The ball is really in Kovalchuk's court. He has stated interest in Columbus, Toronto and multiple other young-ish teams. If he wants to return, these teams will pay for his services.
As the Blue Jackets rumors continue to swirl about the team trying to shed salary. Connecting the dots is becoming much easier. Even if Kovalchuk doesn't come over to the NHL, the Blue Jackets are setting themselves up for a big move.
Adding Kovalchuk would be a surprisingly savvy one.
