The Six Best Fits for Ilya Kovalchuk If He Returns to the NHL

Could Ilya Kovalchuk be back for the 2016-17 NHL season?

Maybe. Life is an infinite series of possibilities.

But Finnish publication Iltalehti (via Yahoo) says Kovalchuk could be looking to get out of the final year of his KHL contract with SKA Saint Petersburg and return to the league from which he "retired" two years ago. The ruble has been on the decline for a while, and some KHL teams are having financial difficulties.

Because he retired, should Kovalchuk want to return for 2016-17 season, all 30 NHL teams would have to approve the move. That's another bridge to cross when the time comes.

Should Kovalchuk's services become available, which teams would make the most sense?

He will be 33 years old next summer, and while he's scoring in Russia (137 points in 135 games), that doesn't mean much to the NHL. Kovalchuk had 37 goals in 2011-12 and eight more in 23 playoff games as he battled a bad back, then dipped to 11 in 37 games in the 2013 lockout season.

If he can produce and has enough left in the tank, teams will want him.

Here are six that appear to be the best fits.

All statistics via NHL.com.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Andy Marlin/Getty Images

The Blue Jackets proved they are willing to think outside the box when they acquired David Clarkson from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for David Clarkson. If anyone is willing to do anything to win, it's GM Jarmo Kekalainen.

This season has been destroyed by injuries, but the Blue Jackets should be back contending for a playoff spot next season. If the injury hex vanishes and they show they are legitimate contenders, Kovalchuk may be viewed as the piece that puts the Blue Jackets over the top in 2016-17.

There will also be familiar faces in Columbus for Kovalchuk. Sergei Bobrovsky and Artem Anisimov were teammates of Kovalchuk at the Sochi Games, and Clarkson was with him in New Jersey for parts of four seasons.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

This will change over the next 12 months, but as of now, the Pittsburgh Penguins have four forwards (Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Patric Hornqvist, Chris Kunitz) signed in 2016-17. There should still be plenty of room for Kovalchuk should both sides have interest.

If would be a treat for the Penguins Hornqvist were still playing alongside Crosby, Malkin and Kovalchuk on the same line. Malkin and Kovalchuk have international experience together, and wouldn't it be nice to see both Crosby and Malkin playing with elite wingers at the same time?

Nashville Predators

John Russell/Getty Images

The Predators are always looking for offense and usually go the trade route to get it, whether it's Filip Forsberg or James Neal. They are scoring more this season than they have in the past but could always use a little more.

When 2016-17 rolls around, the Predators should have Forsberg, Neal, Colin Wilson and Craig Smith as their top scorers. If Forsberg and Wilson/Smith are in the middle, they could use Kovalchuk on the wing. And maybe Alexander Radulov will spend the next year selling Kovalchuk on all the fun things to do in Nashville.

Washington Capitals

Clive Mason/Getty Images

Consider a Capitals team that goes into 2016-17 with Ilya Kovalchuk, Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov on the roster. You see, they are all Russian, and it's always nice to be teammates with people who speak your native language.

The Capitals may also be in the market for some scoring talent around that time. Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom aren't going anywhere, and Kuznetsov and Andre Burakovsky may be much better players by then, but adding Kovalchuk may be in Washington's best interests. Joel Ward, Troy Brouwer and Eric Fehr aren't getting any younger, as that's how time works.

New York Islanders

Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

The Islanders are setting themselves up to be contenders for years to come. If Kovalchuk desires a return to the New York area and the Islanders want to add a dangerous forward, this could be a match made in heaven.

Before Kovalchuk signed his free-agent contract with the Devils before the 2011-12 season, the Islanders were reportedly in the mix to sign him, per ESPN.com. This will be five years later, but maybe it will make sense to both sides this time.

New York Rangers

Andy Marlin/Getty Images

The Rangers have been a "now" team for a few seasons, adding veterans like Rick Nash, Martin St. Louis and Keith Yandle at the expense of draft picks and prospects. If the window for a title (or a second one) is still open entering 2016-17, why wouldn't these two come together?

St. Louis, who still doesn't have a contract for next season, could be gone by then. Chris Kreider and Carl Hagelin are solid enough wingers, capable of 20 goals, perhaps more, but Kovalchuk could deliver even more on the wing than Derek Stepan or Derick Brassard. With so many first-round draft picks traded in recent years, this may be the perfect way to replenish any losses.

Living in New York would likely appeal to Kovalchuk, as it seems to appeal to everyone in the world who wasn't born around there. The Rangers, to me anyway, are the early favorites to win a sweepstakes that has no guarantee of happening.