The Carolina Hurricanes terminated the final season of center Evgeny Kuznetsov’s contract on Wednesday. The 32-year-old will reportedly sign a four-year contract with the KHL’s St. Petersburg, according to Sports24 Russia’s Daria Tuboltseva.
By mutually terminating Kuznetsov’s contract, he loses the $6M in salary he was set to earn this season. He received a $2M Signing Bonus earlier this month which he keeps.
Both #CauseChaos & #ALLCAPS lose the $3.9M Cap Hit they were carrying for himhttps://t.co/jnZybCv39D https://t.co/KoQ3cUDQhl
— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) July 17, 2024
“Ultimately both sides agreed this was the best course of action for both the player and the team,” Carolina General Manager Eric Tulsky said. “We thank Evgeny for his time with the team and wish him and his family the best.”
Kuznetsov, who requested a trade from the Washington Capitals 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.
By Harrison Brown