Veteran Stanley Cup Champion Poised for Potential NHL Comeback
Photo credit: WITN
Former Washington Capitals Stanley Cup champion Evgeny Kuznetsov could potentially return to the NHL after spending a year overseas, per his agent.
Could former Washington Capitals Stanley Cup champion Evgeny Kuznetsov be eying a return to the NHL?
Kuznetsov, who most recently played in the NHL for the Carolina Hurricanes in 2024, returned to his native Russia and suited up for SKA Saint Petersburg in the KHL before both sides agreed to mutually terminate his contract this past April.
He's now a free agent, and he could make the leap back into the NHL if the right offer were to come along per his agent Shumi Babaev, who said he is also negotiating with the best clubs in the KHL.
The process of finding a new club for Kuznetsov is going well, we are working on it. I can't say yet that we are in advanced negotiations with anyone. We are talking with the strongest teams in the KHL. Evgeny is a top player, an elite one. I am sure that he is the best hockey player in the KHL now.
We are not currently negotiating with North American clubs. If the NHL offer is most preferable, then Evgeny will return there.
Kuznetsov experienced concussion issues, which eventually led to a viral infection, per a report released earlier in the year by Match TV.
It turned out that Kuznetsov, who barely recovered from a concussion, received another concussion, the second one in a season. That's such a fatal injury... Rivals played hard with him. The next day, Evgeny felt worse, and he also had an acute respiratory viral infection. He was not put on the match with Spartak.
He played in 723 NHL games with the Capitals and Hurricanes, scoring 568 points (171G, 397A). He also helped the Capitals to the 2018 Stanley Cup and was the leading scorer with 32 points (12G, 20A) in the postseason, which included the overtime GWG against the Penguins to send Washington to the ECF.
| POLL | ||
MAI 24 | 188 ANSWERS Veteran Stanley Cup Champion Poised for Potential NHL Comeback Should Evgeny Kuznetsov get another chance in the NHL? | ||
| Yes | 90 | 47.9 % |
| No | 98 | 52.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
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