Ex-Capitals Star Abruptly Terminates Contract to Join Russian Club

Getty Evgeny Kuznetsov #92 of the Washington Capitals

Former Washington Capitals superstar forward Evgeny Kuznetsov is set to terminate his NHL contract with the Carolina Hurricanes to sign a four-year deal with SKA Saint Petersburg of the KHL, according to Russian outlet Championat.

Kuznetsov has a Russian professional hockey past. He began his career in his native country playing for Chelyabinsk Traktor also of the KHL. No official announcement has been made yet, but that’s related to the pending business terminating his deal with the Hurricanes.

That said, Kuznetsov’s friend and player agent Shumi Babayev told Championat later on July 15 that no deal had been reached at the time of his interview with the outlet.

“Everything is possible, but it is too early to talk about the return of Evgeny Kuznetsov to Russia. It’s not even clear why this information came out because he has another year left on his contract with Carolina. But there was interest from SKA,” Babayev said. “I would be glad if Evgeny comes back, he will strengthen the KHL and he will be a star in the league, but it’s too early to say that he will return to SKA or some other team. We are friends and communicate all the time. He is hungry for hockey and wants to enjoy the game.”

Kuznetsov has played 251 games in the KHL combining regular- and post-season outings while scoring 78 goals and assisting 89 for 167 total points.

Struggles With Capitals & New Beginning With Hurricanes

Kuznetsov’s 2023-24 season was challenging, to say the least. He was placed on waivers by the Capitals and later traded to the Hurricanes after going unclaimed.

Most notably, Kuznetsov entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program at the start of February and was cleared a month later, on March 2.

After entering the program following the 2024 NHL All-Star Break, Kuznetsov requested a trade from the Capitals. Washington abided and landed a third-round pick from Carolina in exchange for the winger, although the Capitals had to retain half his salary.

Kuznetsov played 63 games between the Capitals and the Hurricanes in 2024, scoring 8 goals and assisting 16 for 24 total points. He added 4 goals and 2 assists in 10 postseason games.

The 2023-24 numbers put up by Kuznetsov marked his lowest regular-season offensive output since joining the NHL. That said, he was a productive contributor for the Canes, let alone at half of his $7.8 million cap hit.

Kuznetsov’s Superstar Run & Stanley Cup Championship with Capitals

As subpar as Kuznetsov’s 2023-24 season was, he was a bonafide superstar while navigating his prime.

Kuznetsov spent 11 seasons in the NHL through the end of the 2024 season, accumulating 575 points in 743 games and becoming one of the key players in the Capitals’ 2018 Stanley Cup victory.

So much so, in fact, that Kuznetsov was close to winning the Conn Smythe Trophy. He lost it to teammate and fellow Russian legend Alexander Ovechkin. Kuznetsov scored 32 points in the 2018 playoffs compared to Ovechkin’s 27.

The Russian winger also had four seasons with over 70 points spanning from 2016 through 2022. After that year, however, Kuznetsov’s play declined notably.

After the 2021-22 season, Kuznetsov only scored 79 points in 144 games over his last two NHL seasons. He was also a healthy scratch at times for both the Capitals and the Hurricanes.

Still 32 years old, however, Kuznetsov should be able to be a high-impact player in Russia. Kuznetsov has grown into pretty much an offense-only player as he’s aged. Moving to a less demanding league should allow him to slide back into a top-six role with SKA.