Alexei Kovalev Won't Be Back with the Montreal Canadiens

(Photo by Dave Sandford/Getty Images)

For all you Alexei Kovalev fans out there who wanted Habs General Manager Bob Gainey to make a new offer to "The Artist," this article is for you.

Even with the protest that was held by Kovalev fans outside the Bell Centre, Gainey is not changing his mind.

Monday morning he spoke to Montreal radio station, CJAD, where he restated the comments he made last week about Kovalev not coming back with the Montreal Canadiens. They made Kovalev an offer last week, but he took too long to consider the deal.

"We hadn't agreed on the amount, but another player was willing to come and join our team," Gainey told the radio station. "So the dollars that we had allotted there for a particular position were grabbed up by another player."

Kovalev spent five years in Montreal. He was traded from the NY Rangers for for Josef Balej and a second-round draft pick.

His best season with the Habs was in 2007-08 when he scored 35 goals and had 49 assists.

Thank you, Kovalev, for all the memories.

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