Evgeny Kuznetsov burns the Carolina Hurricanes, bolts for the KHL
The Hurricanes are set to lose another player after it was reported that Evgeny Kuznetsov will terminate the rest of his contract to sign a new one in the KHL.
It has been a tough summer for the Carolina Hurricanes who not only failed to advance past the second round in the playoffs but have also lost a lot of their core to the open market. Jake Guentzel, Teuvo Teravainen, Brady Skjei, Brett Pesce, and Stefan Noesen have all found new homes and it sounds like Kuznetsov is following suit.
The 32-year-old is reportedly terminating the rest of his contract with the Hurricanes to sign a 4-year deal in the KHL with SKA St. Petersburg, according to Russian source "championat.com".
Kuznetsov was acquired by the Hurricanes ahead of the trade deadline in exchange for a 2025 third round pick. The Washington Capitals were set to retain 50% of his contract, which still had 1 season beyond 2023-24 at a cap hit of 7.8 million.
The former Stanley Cup champion has struggled over the last few years with consistency issues on the ice as well as his controversial off-ice antics. Between 2015-16 and 2018-19, Kuznetsov tallied 87 goals and 291 points in 319 games. He then tallied 20 assists and 32 points in 24 games during the 2018 post-season that landed the Capitals their first Stanley Cup in franchise history.
However, since 2020-21, Kuznetsov has tallied just 53 goals and 186 points in 264 games, which included a renaissance campaign in 2021-22, where he accumulated 78 points. However, his downfall continued and he only scored 8 goals and 24 points in 63 games this season with just 2 goals in 20 games with the Hurricanes after the trade.
Overall, Kuznetsov will head to the KHL with 402 assists and 575 points in 743 games played across 11 seasons. He was a vital cog during their Cup run as he led the league in points during the post-season.
He is now set to join SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL who are coming off a season where they finished 40-6-3-19, finished 2nd in the league with 95 points, but were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs.
Source for Evgeny Kuznetsov report: The Hockey News
Report: Ex-Capitals Star Kuznetsov To Terminate NHL Deal & Leave Hurricanes, Return To KHL
Source for Evgeny Kuznetsov statistics: Hockey-Reference
Evgeny Kuznetsov
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 15 | 267 ANSWERS Evgeny Kuznetsov burns the Carolina Hurricanes, bolts for the KHL Did the Hurricanes dodge a bullet with Kuznetsov terminating his contract? | ||
| Yes, he wasn't worth his cap hit anymore | 225 | 84.3 % |
| No, they desperately needed offensive depth | 42 | 15.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
