After news broke on Monday that former Washington Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov and the Carolina Hurricanes were working on terminating the final year of his contract that carries a $7.8 million cap hit, agent Shumi Babev said that it it is too early to discuss the 32-year-old returning to the KHL.
Babaev did not entirely eliminate Kuznetsov playing in the KHL soon but made it sound like it would not happen this fall.
“[Kuznetsov] still has a year left on his contract with Carolina. SKA and other KHL teams have approached him. After Kuznetsov’s contract with Carolina, they are ready to discuss the possibility of [his] appearances,” he said. It appears that both Kuznetsov and his representation are willing to play out the final year of his contract before entertaining the idea of returning to his home country.
Kuznetsov, who requested a trade from Washington numerous times, tallied six goals and 17 points in 43 games before getting traded to Carolina on March 8 for a 2025 third-round pick (at .5 of his $7.8 million cap hit). He did not played with the Capitals after January 27. He returned from the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, where he spent nearly the previous four weeks, six days before he was dealt and cleared waivers five.
Kuznetsov has had numerous problems over the past few years, getting suspended by the IIHF for four years due to substance abuse in 2019, getting placed in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol three times in 2021, and not playing to the level he played at in 2018 since winning the Stanley Cup.
Kuznetsov finished the season with two goals and seven points in 20 regular-season games following the trade but stepped up in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, scoring four goals and six points in 10 contests. Though, Kuznetsov was a healthy scratch in Game 2 of their second-round series against the New York Rangers.
In 743 career NHL games with Washington and Carolina, Kuznetsov notched 173 goals and 575 points. He also earned 33 goals and 73 points in 97 career postseason outings, including when he led the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs with 32 points (including 12 goals) in 24 games.
Pump the brakes on the Kuznetsov rumor for now. pic.twitter.com/Eo2IgfZkbv
— Hockey News Hub (@HockeyNewsHub) July 15, 2024
By Harrison Brown
