“St. Louis” made an offer to Ilya Kovalchuk

General manager of the NHL club St. Louis Doug Armstrong said that team representatives spoke with the agent of Russian forward Ilya Kovalchuk and asked him to consider the Blues.

Kovalchuk previously announced that he was leaving SKA St. Petersburg and would return to the NHL next season. A Russian cannot sign a contract until July 1, but before this date he can agree on its terms.

“His visit to us is not even scheduled yet, but we talked to his agent and asked him to consider our option,” Armstrong said, as quoted by stltoday.com.

Also, the general manager of St. Louis noted that with players of such age as 35-year-old Kovalchuk, “there is always a risk.” "He could be Jaromir Jagr and decline only at 41, but he could come back and fail. You can't be sure. And yet his personality is intriguing. On the international stage he looked dominant, and when he left the NHL he was very good." - Armstrong emphasized.

Kovalchuk returned to Russia from the NHL in 2013, signing a contract with SKA. As part of the army club, the forward became a two-time winner of the Gagarin Cup. Kovalchuk played in the NHL for more than ten years, playing for the Atlanta Thrashers (now the Winnipeg Jets) and the New Jersey Devils.

According to media reports, Kovalchuk has already met with the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks.