Carolina Hurricanes place Evgeny Kuznetsov on unconditional waivers
As reported by Daily Faceoff insider Frank Seravalli, the Carolina Hurricanes have placed Evgeny Kuznetsov on unconditional waivers on Wednesday for purposes of a mutual contract termination.
Hearing Evgeny Kuznetsov will be placed on unconditional waivers today for purposes of a mutual contract termination.
Both #Canes and #Caps are now free of Kuznetsov's cap hit and contract. He is walking away from final $6 million owed in salary this season to return to Russia.
The move will free both the Washington and Carolina of his $6 million salary owed for 2024-25, with Kuznetsov expected to return to Russia this year.
According to Russian sports blog Championat a few days ago, Kuznetsov is expected to sign a four-year contract with SKA Saint Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League.
The 2023-24 season was a tumultuous one for Kuznetsov, who split the campaign with the Washington Capitals and Hurricanes. In February, the Capitals announced he would take an indefinite leave while receiving care from the NHL/NHLPA’s Player Assistance Program.
One month later, he was cleared by the program and placed on waivers by the Capitals. After clearing waivers, he was sent down to the Washington’s AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears, and became the highest-salaried player to ever play in the minor league.
At the 2024 Trade Deadline, the Capitals traded Kuznetsov to the Hurricanes for a third-round pick, with Washington retaining 50 percent of his salary.
In 63 regular-season games in 2023-24, Kuznetsov had eight goals and 16 assists for 24 points. In 10 playoff games with the Hurricanes, he recorded four goals and two assists for six points.
Drafted No. 26 in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, the Chelyabinsk, Russia native scored 173 goals and 402 assists for 575 points in 743 regular-season games across 11 NHL seasons.
His best offensive season came in 2017-18, when he scored 27 goals and 56 assists for 83 points. He led the Capitals with 32 points in the playoffs that year, helping them win their first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history.