Evgeny Kuznetsov was placed on unconditional waivers by the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday for the purpose of terminating his contract.
The 32-year-old forward had one season left on an eight-year, $62.4 million contract he signed with the Washington Capitals on July 2, 2017. It has an average annual value of $3.9 million; Washington retained 50 percent of his salary after was traded to Carolina on March 8 for a third-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.
“Ultimately both sides agreed this was the best course of action for both the player and the team,” general manager Eric Tulsky told the Hurricanes website. “We thank Evgeny for his time with the team and wish him and his family the best.”
Kuznetsov, selected by the Capitals with the No. 26 pick in the 2010 NHL Draft, had 575 points (173 goals, 402 assists) in 743 NHL games, including four seasons with at least 20 goals. He had 73 points (33 goals, 40 assists) in 77 Stanley Cup Playoff games, and led the postseason with 32 points (12 goals, 20 assists) to help Washington win the Stanley Cup in 2018, finishing second to linemate Alex Ovechkin in voting for the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.
He had one of the biggest goals in Capitals history when he scored in overtime of Game 6 of the 2018 second round to eliminate the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins and help Washington advance to the Eastern Conference Final for the first time since 1998. Kuznetsov followed that with 10 points (four goals, six assists) in seven games against the Tampa Bay Lightning, and a four-assist performance in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Following an NHL career-high 83 points (27 goals, 56 assists) in 79 regular-season games in 2017-18, Kuznetsov’s production wavered. He had 78 points (24 goals, 54 assists) in 79 games in 2021-22 before falling to 55 points (12 goals, 43 assists) in 81 games the following season, when the Capitals missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014. He had 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) in 43 games before the trade and entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program twice, most recently Feb. 5, before being cleared to return March 2, when he was loaned to Hershey of the American Hockey League.
Kuznetsov scored the opening goal and assisted on the winning goal in Carolina’s 3-1 victory against the New York Islanders in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference First Round at PNC Arena and finished with six points (four goals, two assists) in 10 postseason games.
Before joining the NHL, Kuznetsov won a silver medal with Russia at the 2009 Under-18 World Championship and a gold (2011) and silver (2012) at the IIHF World Junior Championship. His had 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in seven games of the 2011 tournament, including three assists in the gold medal game that sparked Russia to five third-period goals in a 5-3 win against Canada. He also won gold at the 2014 IIHF World Championship.
You must be logged in to post a comment.