Former Canadiens forward Ilya Kovalchuk has secured a new job.
Former Montreal Canadiens forward Ilya Kovalchuk has landed an exciting new gig.
The Shanghai Dragons have announced that they have hired Kovalchuk as their first-ever president in franchise history.
This is certainly a great opportunity for Kovalchuk, as he will now help run an exciting new KHL team. The Dragons were previously Kunlun Red Star from 2016-17 to 2024-25, and just completed their first season under their new name following their relocation.
It was a tough year for the Dragons, as they finished the campaign with a 16-5-12-35 record (wins, overtime wins, overtime losses, losses). However, Kovalchuk will now be looking to get them in the right direction after joining the organization as their first president.
Kovalchuk will give the Dragons' front office someone who had a fantastic playing career split between the NHL and KHL. In 926 career NHL games, Kovalchuk had 443 goals, 433 assists, and 876 points. In the KHL, the former Canadiens forward had 147 goals, 205 assists, and 352 points in 334 career games.
Kovalchuk appeared in 22 games with the Canadiens during the 2019-20 season, where he recorded six goals, seven assists, 13 points, 28 hits, and a plus-6 rating.