Not so long ago, NHL star forward Evgeny Kuznetsov was a Stanley Cup champion and a fixture for the Washington Capitals. But after a difficult season, exit from D.C. and stopover with the Carolina Hurricanes, Kuznetsov and the Hurricanes agreed to terminate his contract.
All indications are he will head home to Russia and play in the KHL, based on a report from Russian sports publication Championat.com. The ramifications of his exit will affect the Capitals and Hurricanes. “Ultimately, both sides agreed this was the best course of action for both the player and the team,” Carolina GM Eric Tulsky said in a news release. “We thank Evgeny for his time with the team and wish him and his family the best.” Before joining the Hurricanes late this past season, Kuznetsov had reportedly sought a change of scenery from the Capitals and had also spent some time in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program.
The Capitals dealt him to Carolina in exchange for a 2025 third-round draft pick, and Washington retained half of the 32-year-old’s $7.8-million annual salary. With the termination of the contract, the Hurricanes and Capitals each gain $3.9 million in salary cap space.
That boost in cap room gave Carolina $15.5 million in space, part of which they’re reportedly using to re-sign RFA Jack Drury to a two-year deal for a $1.725-million average annual value, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Martin Necas and Seth Jarvis remain RFAs, but there could still be a chance to use some cap space to boost a lineup that saw a handful of departures of late.
Meanwhile, the Capitals are now $10.27 million over the cap ceiling. However, if veteran Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom remains on long-term injured reserve for the final year of his contract, his entire $9.2-million cap hit would likely contribute to an LTIR pool that allows the team to exceed the cap. That would leave the Capitals a little more than $1 million over the maximum cap space. According to the collective bargaining agreement, teams can exceed the cap ceiling by 10 percent during the off-season, so Washington management has a few weeks to figure out how to get under the ceiling.
Now expected to sign with the KHL’s St. Petersburg team, Kuznetsov amassed 402 assists and 575 points in 743 games over an 11-year NHL career. Despite some struggles on and off the ice at times, he’s been a successful NHL competitor who also generated 20 assists and 32 points in 24 games during the Capitals’ 2017-18 Stanley Cup run. Without his contributions, the Capitals likely wouldn’t have won their first and only Cup in team history. And he did help the Hurricanes this past season, when he posted four goals and six points in 10 playoff games. But clearly, he wanted to return to Russia, and he was willing to walk away from a lot of money in the final season of his contract to do so. We’re sure Capitals and Hurricanes wish him good health and good luck in the next stage of his professional career.
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