The Sochi Olympic hockey games fall under the auspices of the IIHF. In order to play in any tournament under the IIHF umbrella, a player requires an IIHF transfer card as a permit to play. All European leagues, including the KHL, fall under the jurisdiction of the IIHF, hence "IF" Ilya Kovalchuk wants to play in the olympics, he has to be signing on with a member team, which is why I can believe the rumours that he'll be signing with SKA quite soon.
Anyways, although I'm cheering for Canada all the way, I do hope Kovalchuk can compete in the Olympics, because I want Canada to win against the best the opposition can field.
http://www.iihf.com/home-of-hockey/c...igibility.html