Capitals acquire veteran winger Kovalchuk for 2020 pick

The Washington Capitals acquired winger Ilya Kovalchuk from the Montreal Canadiens for a 2020 thirdround pick Sunday.

Washington made the move to get another top-nine forward hours after its second victory in eight games. Montreal will retain half of Kovalchuk’s $700,000 salary and cap hit.

Kovalchuk, 36, becomes the fourth prominent Russian player on the Capitals, joining forwards Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov and defenseman Dmitry Orlov. He has six goals and seven assists for 13 points in 22 games since joining the Canadiens.

“Ilya is a talented offensive player who we feel will provide us with additional depth and flexibility up front,”

Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan said. “He is a skilled forward who can make plays and contribute to our offensive game.”

Kovalchuk was named MVP of the 2018 Olympics when a team of Russian players, competing as neutral athletes, won the gold medal. He signed with the Los Angeles Kings that summer and had his contract terminated after putting up 43 points in 81 games.

Lightning

Defenseman Zach Bogosian went from having his contract terminated by the Buffalo Sabres to landing in the thick of the playoff race with Tampa Bay. The Lightning announced they signed Bogosian to a one-year, $1.3 million contract. The 12-year veteran returns to the NHL after spending the past week in limbo. The Sabres suspended Bogosian for refusing to report to the minors last weekend.

Hurricanes

While emergency goalie David Ayres was becoming the talk of the NHL on Hockey Night in Canada, Don Waddell had other things on his mind. Namely, two injured goalies and an injured defenseman. Waddell, president and general manager of Carolina, saw both starting goalie James

Reimer and then replacement Petr Mrazek leave Saturday’s game against the Maple Leafs. However, there was euphoria after the game, as Ayres was showered by water bottles from ecstatic Hurricanes players in the locker room. Ayers is a Zamboni driver and part-time practice goalie who works in the Toronto organization, but stepped in for Carolina in goal and won the game after making eight saves.