When the Canadiens jet home from New Jersey after Tuesday’s tilt against the Devils, Ilya Kovalchuk will return to the bosom of a complete familial unit; his wife and children are relocating to Montreal for the week.



They’ll be on hand for three straight home games plus the team’s annual public skills competition; a recipe that makes for happy children.



It’s not like the Kovalchuks will be doing any house hunting while they’re in town. His eldest daughter attends high school in Los Angeles and she’ll be staying there for the next three years to build her grades, finish strong and earn admission to a good university. Kovalchuk also hopes to finish this season strong and – who knows? – it might land him on a team that could give him another shot at a lengthy playoff run.



There is, however, a non-zero chance that during their week in Montreal the Kovalchuk family will have occasion to wonder what might have been if...