Former Washington Capitals forward Evgeny Kuznetsov is currently still an unrestricted free agent, after his contract with the Carolina Hurricanes was terminated earlier this month. It still appears that the 32-year-old will most likely be heading back to the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), which is where he played originally before coming overseas to suit up for the Capitals. However, despite the reports linking him to at least one team over there, nothing official has been announced yet. Kuznetsov was originally drafted by Washington in the first round (26th overall) of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.
Prior Seasons in the KHL
Kuznetsov previously played in the KHL from the 2009-10 campaign until 2013-14. He spent all of his time in the league playing for Traktor Chelyabinsk, and shared a locker room there that included both former and future NHL talents; such as forward Jan Bulis, defenseman Nikita Nesterov, and defender Deron Quint. He split his first two seasons in the KHL between Traktor Chelyabinsk and their MHL affiliate team, Belye Medvedi, before playing the entire 2011-12 campaign in the KHL. During his five seasons with Traktor, he posted the following numbers:
2009-10: two goals and seven assists for nine points in 35 games
2010-11: 17 goals and 15 assists for 32 points in 44 games
2011-12: 19 goals and 21 assists for 40 points in 49 games
2012-13: 19 goals and 25 assists for 44 points in 51 games
2013-14: eight goals and 13 assists for 21 points in 31 games
Kuznetsov came over to the Capitals and made his NHL debut during the 2013-14 season. In 17 games to finish off that regular-season campaign, he put up three goals and six assists for nine points.
Capitals Career and Short Stint in Carolina
During Kuznetsov’s 11 seasons in the NHL, he amassed 575 points in 743 games between Washington and Carolina in the regular season. Specifically, he tallied 173 goals and provided 402 assists. Also, in his career in the playoffs, he accumulated 33 goals and 40 assists for 73 points in 97 games.
Kuznetsov’s career best offensive stats came in 2017-18 when the Capitals won the Stanley Cup. In that regular season, he registered 27 goals and 56 assists for 83 points. Only Alex Ovechkin had more points that season with 87. In addition, during the 2018 playoff run to the championship, Kuznetsov tallied 12 goals and 20 assists for 32 points in 24 games. That led the entire team in points. He was dangerous when it mattered most, and his contributions were a major part of Washington winning their first Stanley Cup in franchise history.
Kuznetsov’s last full campaign in D.C. came in 2022-23, where he notched 12 goals and 43 assists for 55 points in 81 games. 2023-24 is when the organization decided to part ways with him. While with Washington for part of that campaign, he played in 43 games and accrued 17 points in that span (six goals and 11 assists). After that, then-Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan traded Kuznetsov to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for a 2025 third-round draft choice. During his brief time with the Hurricanes, he collected two goals and five assists for seven points in 20 games. Additionally, Kuznetsov also suited up for 10 postseason games with Carolina, and got six points in that span, between four goals and two assists. Now, he is officially out of his remaining contract that he had in Carolina and has the option to play wherever he would like, whether that be in the KHL or elsewhere (some NHL teams has already expressed interest in his services).
Looking back on his time in Washington, Kuznetsov is one of the most important players the franchise ever got. Being drafted by the Capitals back in 2010 was one of the many great decisions that former GM George McPhee and his managerial staff made, although that would not be realized until seasons later. He is one of the best to ever don the Capitals jersey, and he will be remembered for some of the best goals in team history as well as his iconic celebration. If Kuznetsov is indeed done in the NHL, he left a pretty big mark on the Capitals and the rest of the NHL with his presence.
