New Jersey Devils forward Ilya Kovalchuk is to sign a lockout contract with SKA St. Petersburg, the Russian team announced Monday.
It is unclear when the 29-year-old Devils star will sign, but SKA said in a website statement he would be presented as a new acquisition on Tuesday.
Kovalchuk led the Devils to the Stanley Cup final last season, his third year with the team after spending seven seasons with the Atlanta Thrashers.
In an 11-year NHL career, the two-time world champion has made 811 league appearances, notching up 812 points.
During the previous lockout in 2004-05, Kovalchuk played for Ak Bars Kazan and Khimik Moscow Region.
He will be able to debut for one of the KHL’s richest teams on Sunday in its away clash with Dynamo Moscow, which thrashed SKA 4-0 in last season’s playoffs on its way to Gagarin Cup glory.
The deadline for averting a lockout passed Saturday after the NHL and the players’ association failed to agree terms on a new collective contract.
According to KHL regulations, contracts with incoming NHL players must include a get-out clause in case the lockout is resolved.
