Ilya Kovalchuk is returning to Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League after signing a two-year contract with Avangard Omsk, the league announced Saturday.
Kovalchuk, 37, played for three NHL teams during the 2019-20 season. He started the campaign with the Los Angeles Kings before they waived him and his $18.25 million contract in December. He landed with the Montreal Canadiens in January on a veteran’s league minimum of $700,000.
Montreal traded him to the Washington Capitals in February. He played seven regular-season and eight playoff games for Washington, posting a combined five points.
Kovalchuk was the No. 1 pick of the 2001 draft by the Atlanta Thrashers and has played in 926 career NHL games, scoring 443 goals and 876 points.
He signed a record 15-year, $100 million deal with the New Jersey Devils in 2010 but left just three years in to return to Russia, where he played for five years before returning to the NHL.