Evgeny Kuznetsov is on the verge of breaking his contract with the Hurricanes

When he was in his prime, Evgeny Kuznetsov was fun to watch on the ice.

His creativity and vision made him an electrifying player in Washington… But that’s no longer the case.

The Russian forward has slowed down: he collected just 24 points (63 games) with the Caps and Hurricanes last season, which stands as his worst offensive output since joining the NHL.

The player has just one season left on his contract, which pays him an average of $7.8 million a year.

That said, all indications are that he won’t be playing in North America next season.

According to the media, which covers sports activities in Russia, Kuznetsov has a deal in place to join SKA St. Petersburg next season.

We’re talking about a four-year deal:

The deal will be officially announced once the hockey player has resolved his contractual issues with Carolina. – Arina Nouriakhmetova

Source: https://t.co/iv1WYJcKCY

– Uggg (@Uggg_uggg) July 15, 2024

Kuznetsov will have to “break” his contract for him to have the opportunity to return to play in his country.

That said, we should expect to see him placed on unconditional waivers by the Hurricanes in the coming days, if it doesn’t happen today.

In the end, Kuznetsov’s decision is understandable.

He’ll have the opportunity to join his family and friends who are currently in Russia… And on the hockey front, he’ll have the chance to play a bigger role with SKA.

He might not have had the opportunity to play in a top-6 team in North America next season, but he’s certainly going to get some big minutes in Russia.

On the other hand, I imagine the news makes the Carolina Hurricanes a little happy. After all, Rod Brind’Amour would have had to find a solution to include him in the line-up by placing him in a situation where he could produce offensively, and with all the talent on the club, that would have been difficult. The team’s GM, for his part, must be happy to be free of that kind of money. #MartinNecas #SethJarvis

Because Evgeny Kuznetsov doesn’t have much value on the ice if he’s not playing on a top-6. We’re talking about a strictly offensive player here… `

Overtime

– Xavier Bourgault heads to Ottawa.

TRANSACTION: We have acquired forwards Xavier Bourgault and Jake Chiasson from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for forward Roby Jarventie and the #Sens 2025 4th round draft pick.

The #Sens acquire forwards Xavier Bourgault and Jake Chiasson from Edmonton in exchange for… pic.twitter.com/el6X64gJ0g

– Ottawa Senators (@Senators) July 15, 2024