There has been much speculation recently on Ilya Kovalchuk possibly making a return the the NHL and the New Jersey Devils. It is no secret that he wants to return eventually, since he stated winning the cup is a goal he would like to accomplish. It is all a matter of when he chooses to do so. Possibly now?

Kovy was apparently unhappy during the Olympics and the KHL playoffs and he also was playing on an injured knee from the Sochi Olympics. The Russian forward also underwent knee surgery this offseason and was held out of the IIHF World Championships.



The surgery is a good reason of why he would consider a return to the NHL this season. If he wants to come back and try to win a Cup, that may never be an opportunity if he stays in Russia and proves his knee is not in good shape.

Also, ever since the end of the KHL season, Kovalchuk has been staying in New Jersey and has continued to build his home in Alpine, NJ. He has been spotted court-side at a few Brooklyn Nets playoff basketball games.

But the firestorm of rumors started circling the Twitter universe when National Talk Show Host Dino Costa tweeted this:

I received word from very credible source based in NJ this afternoon that DEVILS are involved in discussions to bring back Ilya Kovalchuk… — DINO COSTA (@REALDINOCOSTA) June 9, 2014



Followed by this:

DEVILS are involved in discussions to bring back Ilya Kovalchuk…negotiations have begun, expect more news on this shortly #NJDevils — DINO COSTA (@REALDINOCOSTA) June 9, 2014

Before tonight I had never heard of this Dino Costa guy and not many people I have spoken to have either, but boy did he start one mammoth rumor. Thoughts on Kovalchuk returning blew up Twitter and more “rumors” started to surface. I even saw a tweet that Kovalchuk’s wife was looking into schools in the New Jersey area for this upcoming school year.

Now there is obviously no proof of any of this going happening, nor has any official report come out that the Devils are in talks with their former star on a possible return.

But if Kovy were to return, that would fill a major void in the Devils offense and fans should welcome him with open arms. However, it is more than necessary to boo him for the first few games or so, it is New Jersey for Christ’s sake.

Long story short, there is no credibility to this rumor just yet, but if it were true expect facts to start surfacing within the next few days.