The Ottawa Senators have signed 16-year veteran right winger and Stanley Cup champion Alexei Kovalev to a two-year contract, Sens general manager Bryan Murray said yesterday.
This is 36-year-old Kovalev’s fourth team since he began his career with the New York Rangers — where he was the 15th overall pick — in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft. He played for the Pittsburgh Penguins before being traded to the Montreal Canadiens, where he spent the last six seasons. In 78 games during the 2008-09 season, he led the team in goals (26) and points (65), while adding 74 penalty minutes.
In 1,151 career games, he has scored 394 goals and 547 assists for 941 points, while adding 1,200 penalty minutes. Kovalev scored 44 goals and 54 assists in 116 career playoff games.
A three-time NHL All-Star (2001, 2003 and 2009), Kovalev — who is Russian-born — represented his country internationally eight times during his career, winning gold medals at the 1992 Winter Olympics and 1992 world junior championship, and bronze at the 2002 Winter Olympics.
