Evgeny Kuznetsov has made news in the Washington area this summer. It’s not because he found a new NHL home. Rather it’s for skating in beer league games at the Capitals’ practice facility in Arlington.
While he skates looking to land a new home, his agent, Shumi Babeav, has insisted his client wants a return to the NHL after spending a season with SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL, but clearly the 33-year-old’s last two seasons haven’t been much of a selling point for potential suitors with a pair of mutual contract terminations in that time.
Hard road for Kuznetsov
The center’s decade-long tenure in Washington ended in January 2024 on the ice at American Airlines Arena in Dallas as a furious Capitals rally fell short in overtime before the team’s bye week. As the team headed into the break, he notched just six goals and 11 assists in 43 games and suffering to what he told the Russian media was heumatoid arthritis. By the time the Capitals’ bye was over, he had entered the players’ assistance program, and his time with the NHL club was effectively done and he had made a request for a trade.
Upon his return from the program in early March, he was assigned to the AHL’s Hershey Bears to practice and get back up to game speed, and cleared waivers despite having just one year plus left on his contract and being available for that $7.8 million cap hit. Two days later, he got a chance at a fresh start when the Carolina Hurricanes traded a third-round pick for Kuznetsov as the Capitals kept half of his cap hit with a year remaining on his deal to facilitate the trade.
Despite the change of scenery, Kuznetsov wasn’t really a fit in Carolina, notching just two goals and seven assists in 20 games in Raleigh, and despite a better showing in the postseason with four points and six assists in 10 games, the team and player mutually terminated the final year of his contract in July and he headed to Russia for a four-year deal with SKA.
NHL team were skeptical
Kuznetsov was nearly a point-per-game player in the KHL this past season, but with injuries and inconsistency, like his last two stops, the relationship was destined to end early, and for the second straight summer he and his team terminated a contract early.
So after three teams and two leagues in 18 months, Kuznetsov ended up working out with beer league this summer.
Clearly Kuznetsov wanted back in the NHL returning to workout in North America, but he found the demand wasn’t quite what he anticipated.
With teams having more cap space this summer thanks to the rising cap, the need for project players and cheaper options is less prevalent than it has been. Just Capitals-wise, this is evidenced by the number of former Bears and other depth players heading overseas to play next season rather than sticking around the NHL or AHL.
Despite being present in their practice facility in the suburbs, the odds Kuznetsov returns to the Capitals lineup next season is small. He had requested a trade out of Washingron before he entered the program, and his trade was part of the addition by subtraction deals in Match 2024 that saw Washington’s improbable run to the playoffs – followed by their surprising 2024-25 season.
While Kuznetsov’s skill is undeniable, that hasn’t been his issue, as the effort has been wildly inconsistent in the back side of his career. While he should still be in his prime and clearly can still play, questions about his commitment are certainly weighing on teams willing to roll the dice on adding him to a roster.
What’s next for Kuznetsov
And now, with Labor Day approaching, even a near-minimum, incentive-laden contract seems like it may be getting out of reach.
Kuznetsov may have to possibly consider a PTO if he wants to return to the NHL, where he gets a training camp invite from someone and nothing more, hoping he’s needed more than to fill a sweater during an exhibition game to meet veteran rules for those early games where few veterans want to skate. Another veteran Cup winning forward, Milan Lucic, took one with the St. Louis Blues this week hoping to restart his career, and Kuznetsov’s choice may doing that if he really wants to return to the NHL and prove he can make the most of out a third chance with an NHL club.
A return to the KHL is also possible should nothing work out on this side of the ocean, but terminating the last three years of a tax-free contract with SKA, clearly Kuznetsov’s options may not be what he wanted when he left Russia after last season.
While Kuznetsov clearly has the talent to play professional hockey at a high level, as he showed during Washington’s 2018 Stanley Cup run where he was in the conversation for the Conn Smythe Trophy, ever since his performance has fallen short of expectations, with the last two seasons being particularly vexing.
Is a PTO Coming?
“Kuzy” played his way off the Capitals. Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour took a chance and hoping he could jump-start his career in Carolina, that also fell well short of expectations. The experiment only lasted a few months despite Carolina trading a third-round pick for him. Meanwhile, the Russian playmaker had a year left on his contract.
His performance in Russia was fine in what is an offense-heavy league and one more suited for his skill set, but injury and other issues led to another contract termination.
Certainly some team on these shores or overseas may take a chance on rekindling the talent that he has shown over the years, but clearly the options aren’t exactly what he thought when he came back over to North America this summer, and he’s hoping he came over for more than some beer league games.
