Ilya Kovalchuk was a top-rated player when he was on the New Jersey Devils. When the Devils traded for Kovalchuk in 2010, the idea was that he was supposed to be the central piece in what was supposed to be the next great Devils team.
It was an up-and-down start for the first few years. He got to play in the Stanley Cup Finals in 2012, but the following year, things changed. After the lockout-shortened 2013 season ended with the Devils failing to make the playoffs, Kovalchuk made a decision that many people around the organization felt was a betrayal.