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Report: Evgeny Kuznetsov's Return to Russia Hits Roadblock

Carolina Hurricanes center Evgeny Kuznetsov's preferred KHL team has some work to do before signing him.

Jon Alfano

Mar 28, 2024; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes center Evgeny Kuznetsov (92) skates against the Detroit Red Wings during the second periodat PNC Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 28, 2024; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes center Evgeny Kuznetsov (92) skates against the Detroit Red Wings during the second periodat PNC Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports / James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
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The Evgeny Kuznetsov saga hits yet another plot twist.

On Thursday, the Carolina Hurricanes officially terminated Kuznetsov's contract, which carried a $7.8 million cap hit for one more season. A report from Championat earlier in the week indicated that Kuznetsov planned to return home to Russia and sign a four-year deal with SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL, but now that plan has hit a snag.

According to Match TV, Kuznetsov will not sign with SKA "in the near future" as the club needs to make other moves to fit his contract.

"it won't happen in the near future. Because to begin with, SKA needs to conduct a number of exchanges, clearing the place under the salary ceiling. If it is exceeded, Kuznetsov's contract simply cannot be registered in the KHL," a source told Match TV.

Kuznetsov, 32, is coming off a down season by his standards, in which he scored 24 points (eight goals, 16 assists) in 63 games (43 with the Washington Capitals, 20 with the Hurricanes). He did have a decent postseason with Carolina, though, scoring six points (four goals, two assists) in 10 games.

In his prime, though, Kuznetsov was nearly a point-per-game player and a huge part of Washington's success. His 2018 playoff run, in which he scored a league-best 32 points (12 goals, 20 assists) in 24 games, cemented him as a franchise legend. His most memorable moment from that postseason was an overtime series-winner in Game 6 against the Pittsburgh Penguins, finally vanquishing the team that plagued the Capitals for so long.

Even for all his accomplishments in D.C., Washington traded him to division-rival Carolina at this year's trade deadline, acquiring a third-round pick while retaining 50 percent of his salary. With the Hurricanes terminating his contract, both they and the Capitals are now free from his cap hit next season.

It seems that the next chapter of Kuznetsov's career will have to wait, for now at least.

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Jon Alfano
JON ALFANO

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