NHL: Do the New Jersey Devils Regret the Signing of Ilya Kovalchuk?

It’s been almost two full years since the New Jersey Devils acquired Ilya Kovalchuk from the then-Atlanta Thrashers. Have they gotten their money’s worth?

Not just yet.  

Kovalchuk tallied 31 goals last year for the Devils, playing in all 82 games as New Jersey just missed the playoffs. This year, with 19 goals (and 21 assists) in his first 40 outings, he’s on pace for a 39-goal campaign.

Solid numbers, assuming he doesn't go into a slump—but not exactly what the Devils were expecting when they signed him to a 15-year, $100 million deal in 2010 (after the NHL vetoed his original 17-year, $102 million pact). After recording five 40-goal seasons and two 50-goal years in his time in Atlanta, the Devils had to have been expecting at least 40-plus goals a year easy from No. 17.  

Kovalchuk’s plus-minus numbers have also dropped the past two seasons. He was an acceptable plus-9 in his first 27 games in New Jersey following his trade from the Thrashers, the only time in his NHL career he’s actually been a plus-player. He dipped to minus-26 a year ago, which could be tied into the Devils’ poor start and overall rocky season; but so far this year, he’s a minus-8 on a winning team.

He played on some pretty bad teams down south, true, but he's still a minus-109 for his career. Defense isn’t his forte, but it’s long been a staple of the Devils’ system—and so far Kovalchuk hasn’t completely adjusted to that.

You don’t want to rein him in too much, but he still has to take care of his own end. Basically, you want the Kovalchuk that was on display tonight at the Prudential Center, scoring two goals on three shots and registering a plus-1 rating in a 5-1 win over Winnipeg. 

Kovalchuk has definitely had some problems on the Devils power play this winter, which has surrendered a league-high 12 shorthanded goals to date. Some of that is directly attributable to Kovalchuk, who has been been periodically stripped of the puck at the left point, or made bad passes coming out of his own zone, resulting in opposing shorthanded tallies. He might be better off setting up in the left circle and looking for passes he can one-time home, rather than trying to coordinate matters from the blue line.  

He still has five power-play goals this year, thanks to his great shot. He has also contributed two shorthanded goals of his own among the Devils' 11 man-down markers, including one last week in Edmonton where he held off a defender, powered his way to the net and roofed a shot over Nikolai Khabibulin’s glove. Kovalchuk has the size (6'2'', 230 lbs.), strength and speed to make plays like that on a regular basis—he just doesn’t always make them.

Like some other Russian NHL stars over the years, it seems as though Kovalchuk either gets bored easily, or doesn’t always give 100 percent effort. Maybe that’s because he’s so skilled that he makes things look easy—but he’s also done things like lose the puck or straight-out misfire on shootout attempts in the past, things that shouldn’t happen to a player of his caliber. Like a lot of pro players, his inconsistency can be maddening, even more so because his skating and shooting abilities are so high-end and effortless. 

The Devils themselves are currently a team in transition. Martin Brodeur is nearing the close of his storied career, while fellow Stanley Cup holdover Patrik Elias is probably also getting close to the end himself. It’s unclear whether or not New Jersey will re-sign Zach Parise after this season, which could leave it with a huge hole up front and put even more pressure on Kovalchuk to contribute offensively.

Kovalchuk is still capable of scoring 40-plus goals in a season again on a regular basis, and at just 28 years old isn’t looking at diminishing skills any time soon. Whether the Devils return to the ranks of legitimate Stanley Cup contenders is going to a take a team effort, but Kovalchuk will undoubtedly be one of the biggest parts in completing that puzzle.

He was brought to the Garden State to score goals and to help win championships. He can still do the former, and the latter is not completely out of the question—but Kovalchuk has some ways to go to live up to his long-term, big-money deal. The Devils paid a lot to get him, and they and their fans understandably want a lot in return for their investment.

There’s still time, but the clock is definitely ticking for both the Devils and Kovalchuk. Nights like tonight against the Jets would be a good start.