Ex-King Kovalchuk buys Beverly Hills manse then bids LA adieu

It has been a hectic two weeks for hockey star Ilya Kovalchuk, who now has a new house in Los Angeles and a new team in Montreal.

Last month, the veteran N.H.L. player was placed on waivers by the Los Angeles Kings, then on Thursday he closed on the purchase of an $11.2 million Beverly Hills manse.

On Friday, the former all-star signed a contract to finish out the season with the Montreal Canadiens.

Kovalchuk’s 6,137-square-foot home is in the exclusive Trousdale Estates section, and the deal pencils out to $1,816 per square foot.

Michael Rabbani and Joe Babajian of Rodeo Realty shared the listing with Hilton & Hyland’s Branden Williams and Rayni Williams. The seller was unidentified.

Nina Moshkovich of Nelson Shelton Real Estate represented Kovalchuk.

The home has been on the market since it was completed in 2018, with the closing price slightly below the most recent $11.5 million listing. The Modern home includes five bedrooms, 5.5 bathrooms and a roughly half-acre lot. It was designed by L.A. architect Vigen Pezeshkian, and according to Redfin, was finished with “onyx and rare stones throughout.”

Kovalchuk is putting a gate up in the front yard, but otherwise leaving the home largely unchanged.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2001 NHL draft, Kovalchuk starred for the Atlanta Thrashers and New Jersey Devils before moving back to his native Russia, signing a deal with SKA Saint Petersburg in 2013. Kovalchuk returned to the NHL in 2017, signing a 3-year, $18.75 million contract with the Kings.