Ilya Kovalchuk was an outstanding player for the New Jersey Devils. He was a trade deadline acquisition that kept the team in it after a long period of sustained success. He put up outstanding numbers for them. With all of that said, as we stand here in 2019 the Devils organization and its fans should never stop thanking Ilya Kovalchuk for leaving.
Well, how could I say that? In 222 games with New Jersey, he scored 89 goals and chipped in 112 assists for 201 points. Elite numbers if you ask anyone who knows the game. If you combine those with the elite numbers he put up with the now-defunct Atlanta Thrashers, then it was clear that he was on pace to have a case for the Hockey Hall of Fame.