There was a time when Ilya Kovalchuk was a hockey card darling. That's not so much the case anymore. Fast forward about 18 years and his story doesn't seem to have turned out the way a superstar's should. In fact, since returning to the NHL, his 43 points in 81 games over the last two seasons wasn't even enough to sniff a King's lineup that sat very near the bottom of the Pacific (not the ocean). He hadn't played a game since Nov. 9th.
On Dec. 16th, after already receiving a $2.65 Million roster bonus, it was announced that he was put on "unconditional waivers" and had left Los Angeles. I wasn't sure what exactly a UW was but the move was done for the sole purpose of terminating his $18.75 million contract. The culmination of that is definitely not a celebrated exit for a three-time All Star, six-time 40+goal scorer, and once hockey card superstar.
