Kovalchuk, KHL's Avangard Omsk agree to terminate contract

Ilya Kovalchuk is once again a free agent.

Two days after winning the KHL's Gagarin Cup, the veteran forward and Avangard Omsk agreed to terminate his contract, the league announced Friday.

Kovalchuk signed a two-year pact with the club in December. He returned to Russia after playing the 2018-19 and 2019-20 NHL seasons with the Los Angeles Kings, Montreal Canadiens, and Washington Capitals.

The 38-year-old collected five goals and 12 assists across 16 KHL regular-season games in 2021 before adding four goals and five assists in 24 playoff contests.

Kovalchuk has notched 443 goals and 433 assists in 926 NHL games over 13 campaigns. He's also spent parts of nine seasons playing in his native Russia.