Ilya Kovalchuk spoke to the media on Wednesday when he returned to New Jersey and he said he never considered staying in the KHL. "I never thought about wanting to stay because I have a contract," he said. "How could I stay (there) when I have a contract here? I don't know where you read all those comments but I have a contract here, and in the KHL they have a rule that as soon as the lockout ends, we come back, so nobody has a choice." There were several quotes and reports out of Russia that indicated that Kovalchuk wanted to remain in Russia, but had to come back to honor his deal. He thanked Devils GM Lou Lamoriello for allowing him to stay in Russia a little longer to play in the KHL All-Star Game and expressed how happy he was to be back. In the end the important fantasy news here is that Kovalchuk is back in North America and he should prepared to play on Saturday after racking up 42 points in 36 games with SKA St. Petersburg during the lockout.