The Trade
On November 25th, 1998, the Rangers traded Kovalev to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Kovalev was packaged alongside Harry York and sent to the Steel City for Petr Nedved, Sean Pronger, and Chris Tamer. It's an interesting trade, and we'll get into the trade tree, but we will follow Kovalev through his time in Pittsburgh for now. He played 63 games for Pittsburgh in the 1998-99 season, scoring 20 goals and 26 assists for 46 points.
He continued to produce nicely, following that with a 26-goal, 66-point season in 1999-2000, but it was the 2000-01 season when Kovalev became the Russian sniper we all remember and cherish. 44 goals, 51 assists, 95 points, and a deep run into the postseason with the Penguins gave him the ilk we all remember. He followed that up with another 32-goal, 44-assist season for 76 points.
However, in 2002-03, the Pittsburgh Penguins were experiencing a downturn and were heading towards a rebuild. Kovalev entered the trade block, and the New York Rangers came calling. Pittsburgh and New York worked to put a package together that sent Kovalev back to the team he won the Stanley Cup with, and the Rangers got to have their cake and eat it, too, in terms of this trade tree.
Kovalev's reunion in New York didn't work for long, as he was soon sent to Montreal. From Montreal, he bounced around a bit, playing for Ottawa, Florida, and even a reunification with the Pittsburgh Penguins before he retired in 2013. This trade tree has many branches to cover, so let's return to the top and start breaking it down.