The New Jersey Devils expect the near-term future of forward Ilya Kovalchuk to be resolved soon, general manager Ray Shero told Northjersey.com on Saturday.

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"I don't think this stretches on for real long," Shero said. "I'll have more conversations with (agent) Jay Grossman in the next day, the next couple of days."

Kovalchuk reportedly wanted to return to the NHL this season. The Devils hold his rights, so to do so, Kovalchuk would have to sign and play with New Jersey, or sign and then be traded to another team.

Shero said Saturday he would not trade Kovalchuk "for pennies on the dollar" but is willing to make a fair deal.

"I don't want to be an impediment for him getting back in the League," Shero said. "My intent is not to keep him out of the League."

If Kovalchuk, 34, waits until next NHL season, he would be an unrestricted free agent able to sign with any team.

"Realistically, on the process, you should probably ask Jay Grossman," Shero said. "As to where [Ilya] wants to end up (NHL or KHL), or any sort of deadline he might be facing there, it certainly falls to [Ilya] and Jay. Outside of that, I probably wouldn't want to comment."

Tweet from @AGrossRecord: Fire and Ice: 13 takeaways on Ray Shero and #Devils offseason https://t.co/vzhVPXYvXL via @northjersey

Kovalchuk voluntarily retired from the NHL on July 11, 2013, with 12 years and $77 million remaining on a 15-year, $100 million contract he signed with New Jersey on Sept. 3, 2010. He signed a four-year contract with SKA St. Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League in his native Russia on July 15, 2013.

When Kovalchuk left the NHL, his contract was terminated and he was placed on the voluntary retirement list. That allowed the Devils to maintain his NHL rights until he turns 35, which would be April 15, 2018. Prior to turning 35, if Kovalchuk wants to sign with another team, he would need approval from all 31 NHL teams.

Kovalchuk, selected by the Atlanta Thrashers with the No. 1 pick of the 2001 NHL Draft, had 816 points (417 goals, 399 assists) in 816 games with the Thrashers and Devils.