Kuznetsov Officially Terminates NHL Contract; More On His Decision & What It Means For Capitals, Salary Cap

Evgeny Kuznetsov is officially leaving the NHL, as the ex-Washington Capitals center is on unconditional waivers to terminate the final year of his contract with the Carolina Hurricanes.

It is a mutual contract termination. Kuznetsov is forgoing the remaining salary he's owed on the eight-year deal he signed with D.C. in 2017 in order to return to Russia, where he's expected to sign with the KHL's SKA St. Petersburg. When Kuznetsov clears unconditional waivers, his contract will come completely off the books.

Washington, who was retaining half of his salary as part of the trade they made to send him to Carolina, will get back $3.9 million in cap space.

"Ultimately both sides agreed this was the best course of action for both the player and the team," Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulskyh said in a statement. "We thank Evgeny for his time with the team and wish him and his family the best."

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The decision comes following a rocky past few seasons for the 32-year-old. After leading Washington to the Stanley Cup in 2018, Kuznetsov struggled with off-ice issues, including testing positive for cocaine, while also dealing with inconsistency in his game.

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After a rough start to 2023-24, Kuznetsov entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program at the All-Star Break. He also told the Capitals he wanted a change of scenery. Following his time in the program, Kuznetsov was waived and assigned to the AHL's Hershey Bears while Washington worked out a trade, and he was ultimately sent to Carolina for a third-round selection.

Kuznetsov finishes his NHL career with 575 points in 743 games over 11 years.