At age 39, Alexei Kovalav wants to return to the National Hockey League.
The winger told the Montreal Gazette on Thursday that he would like to play the 2012-13 season for one of his former clubs, the Montreal Canadiens being his first choice.
“Hopefully, I’ll find an NHL team,” the Russian veteran told the paper. “The preference is always going to be a team I’ve played on because you know the environment.
“And I’d definitely like to come back to Montreal. They’re all about the young guys, but I can help in all different ways. And I can still play. I have a lot of energy.”
Although Kovalev inked a two-year contract last year to play in the KHL, he has been released from that deal. Bothered by a knee injury, Kovalev played 22 games in 2011-12 for Atlant Moscow Oblast, scoring just a single goal and adding five assists.
Prior to his four full years in Montreal, where he consistently put up 70-point seasons, Kovalev played for the New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins. He signed as a free agent to the Ottawa Senators for 2009-10 and 2010-11, and his production declined. Kovalev was traded back to the Penguins, dressed for 20 games (scoring seven points), and played his last NHL contest in 2011.
“I always think about having left Montreal,” he said. “You make a mistake in life and you learn from it. I would make a different move if I could have that back.
“I’m working hard, training three times a week and keeping in shape. Hopefully, somebody will get interested.”
Do you think an NHL team will take a chance on Alexei Kovalev next season?
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