Agent refutes report of Ex-Capitals star heading back to Russian KHL

Despite a report from a Russian news outlet that stated he was terminating his NHL contract and heading to the KHL, Evgeny Kuznetsov may be staying stateside after all, according to his agent Shumi Babaev.

Arina Nuriakhmetova of championat.com reported on Monday morning that Kuznetsov plans to terminate his NHL deal and sign a four-year contract with SKA Saint Petersburg, but Babaev has since said that’s not entirely true.

“Anything is possible, but it’s too early to talk about Evgeny Kuznetsov’s return to Russia,” Babaev told championat.com in Russian, which has been translated to English. “It’s not even clear why this information arose because he has a contract with Carolina for another year. But there was an appeal from SKA. They called and said that if Evgeny returns, they are ready to talk. … But it’s too early to say that he will return to SKA or any other team. … He is primarily considering options in the NHL. If he doesn’t like something or is not satisfied with the option, then there will be conversations with KHL clubs. But I can’t say yet when this will happen.”

Kuznetsov has one year left on his current NHL contract with the Carolina Hurricanes that would pay him $7.8 million through the 2024-25 season.

If he does head back to his homeland, Kuznetsov would be just the latest of a handful of players to sign with the KHL this offseason — a group that includes San Jose Sharks forward Egor Afanasyev and former Philadelphia Flyers draft pick Wade Allison, among others.

No stranger to the KHL having played five seasons in the league with Traktor Chelyabinsk from 2009 to 2013, Kuznetsov scored 65 goals and 146 points in 210 regular-season games plus 13 goals and 21 points in 41 playoff games.

The 32-year-old center joined the Capitals at the end of the 2013-14 season and had been one of Washington’s top scorers of the last decade, helping lead the team to a Stanley Cup championship in 2018. But his career suffered a setback this season.

He began the season with a bad relationship with the Capitals front office, and he was nearly traded to the Nashville Predators last July for center Matt Duchene before the deal fell apart last minute.

Kuznetsov scored just six goals and 17 points in 43 games with the Caps last season before entering the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program back in February. He was traded to the Hurricanes a month later.

It wasn’t the first time Kuznetsov struggled with off-ice issues. He tested positive for cocaine during the 2019 IIHF World Championship and was banned from playing for the Russian national team for four years. Subsequently, the NHL suspended him without pay for three games that season.