Kovalev, 42, wants to make NHL comeback

Alex Kovalev, a 19-year NHL veteran who has been been out of the League since 2013, wants to make a comeback, and told Journal de Montreal, "I'd come back right away. If Jaromir Jagr can do it, so can I."

Kovalev, who will turn 43 next month, scored 430 goals and had 1,029 points in 1,316 NHL games with the New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers. His best season was in 2000-01, when he had career highs of 44 goals and 95 points with the Penguins. As a rookie, he was a member of the Rangers' Stanley Cup champion team in 1994.

In a Pro Hockey Talk report, Kovalev said he was in "exceptional" shape, the result of martial arts workouts five times a week, and said he "would only need a few days of training" to be able to play in an NHL game.

Kovalev has not played professional hockey since 2013-14, when he had 22 goals and 52 points in 44 games with Visp in the Swiss-B League.

He said he would not reach out to teams asking for a shot to play, but if a team contacted Kovalev, he would "say yes right away."