The way Montrealers embraced him from start to finish meant the world to him.
"I sent a little message on Instagram when the team posted the picture in French [after the trade] to just say thanks for everything. It's a great place to play," said Kovalchuk. "It's not goodbye, for sure."
Admittedly, Kovalchuk is leaving the door open for a possible return to Montreal this summer, if he remains unsigned.
We'll just have to wait and see what happens come July.
"When I'll be a free agent, it's one of the destinations that will be on my mind, because the fans here, the players, the younger players, the direction this team is going, I really like that a lot," stated Kovalchuk. "It's like a family here. All the people care. The staff, the coaching staff, they're all close, along with the management. Geoff [Molson] is with the team all the time. It says a lot."