There are reports all over the interwebs that Ilya Kovalchuk would like to stay in Russia where he has been playing for St. Petersburg in the KHL.

I for one hope he returns energized and wanting play for the Devils. The loss of Zach Parise already left some sort of gap in the Devils lineup. Losing Kovy would force the Devils to make some major moves to get another "superstar" level player. 

However, something could be said for allowing Kovy to stay in Russia. Do you really want a guy on the team who doesn't want to be there? Do you want a homesick player to phone it in night after night? When Kovy was on the trading block for Atlanta he phoned in quite a few performances. And while Kovalchuk is a "marquee" player that puts butts in seats, there are plenty of fish in the sea, many of whom wouldn't mind playing for the Devils.

Personally, I'm sick of the drama. Someone just call Kovy up, tell him to fly into Newark, so he can lace-up for training camp on Sunday.