Report: Kovalchuk benched again by KHL team
It appears Ilya Kovalchuk's tenure with SKA St. Petersburg has come to an end - for a second time - during the KHL postseason.
After leaving his club and being stripped of his captaincy during their first-round series, the 32-year-old surprisingly returned for SKA's second-round series. But after going pointless in the first three games, the winger has been benched once again, Russian sports writer Slava Malamud reports.
He was not in the lineup for Game 4 of the series Sunday, which his team went on to win 4-0.
Malamud added that there's about a 50 percent chance SKA will buy out the remainder of Kovalchuk's contract, before listing the most likely options for his future.
Kovalchuk options, most to least likely: 1) New KHL team, 2) Find way to stay at SKA, 3) Petition NHL for return, 4) Retire/political career
— Slava Malamud (@SlavaMalamud) March 13, 2016
Kovalchuk has not played in North America since retiring from the NHL in 2013.