Kovalchuk is still in the United States with his family, while SKA players reported to the club for medicals yesterday. Players will start skating on July 15 with training camp starting July 22 in Switzerland. That may be the day Kovalchuk will actually join the team, although according to his mother (see below) Ilya won’t come to Russia until August 1. No official announcement has been made, although some SKA players, including goaltender Ilya Ezhov, acknowledged hearing about the move during their medicals.
Neither Kovalchuk, nor his agents have made any official statements, other than the one announced by the New Jersey Devils yesterday. However, SovSport’s Pavel Lysenkov spoke with Kovalchuk’s mother (she’s always been very open with the media, confirming the 17-year “original” contract Kovalchuk signed with the Devils), who shed some light on the situation. She was not surprised of the developments at all, saying, “I knew about it, to be honest. Of course Ilya discussed this matter with me. It was back in January when my son was thinking about staying with SKA. But he went back to New Jersey to finish the season. Everything had to be done in a civilized manner; all legal questions must have been resolved.”