The Washington Capitals made one of the more memorable trades in team history last week when they dealt 2018 Stanley Cup champion Evgeny Kuznetsov to the Carolina Hurricanes ahead of the 2024 NHL trade deadline. Kuznetsov’s move came after years of wanting a fresh start and a stay in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance program.
When commenting on the deal via the 32 Thoughts Podcast, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman described the trade as a win for both teams. For the Capitals, there was a particular reason why.
“[T]here were some people who told me that when I started to hear this (trade) was going on, I had people who were telling me Washington was going to have to pay Carolina to do it,” Friedman said. “Like maybe they were going to have to include a second-rounder or something like that. I think Washington only having to eat half the salary — they’ll say, ‘we’ll take that,’ even if it goes well. I think it’s a big win for the Capitals… in terms of what they had to do to make it happen.”
Not only did the Capitals avoid having to give the Hurricanes any draft assets, they gained a third-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft in the final agreement. They also saved $3.9 million towards next season’s salary cap on a player that no longer fit well on the team.
Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan revealed in a press conference that he began talking to Carolina “four or five days” before the trade deadline. During that time, Kuznetsov, who has one season remaining on his contract, was waived and assigned to the Hershey Bears.
Kuznetsov impressed the Bears both with his attitude and how good of shape he was in, especially considering he hadn’t skated in nearly two months. The way Kuznetsov handled the assignment may have affected trade talks in a positive way.
“When I first heard it, it was like a 17/10,” Friedman said, when asked about how surprised he was about the deal. “When it came out, it was much less. I heard it about 48 hours before it happened. I was working on (reporting) it.”
Friedman added, “It doesn’t surprise me it’s Carolina. Partially because it’s the whole market inefficiency thing and secondly because Rod Brind’Amour, if you look at his history, he’s got some pretty positive quotes about Kuznetsov. I think the thing is too, I have no doubt they went to some of their players and said, ‘How do you feel about this?’ I think their leadership group accepted it.”
What is clear to Friedman is that Kuznetsov does not have another mulligan after this one. Before the trade, the Russian centerman had only six goals and 17 points through 43 games and was trending toward his worst full season in the NHL.
“Kuznetsov knows this is it,” Friedman said. “This is his last chance. If he doesn’t make this work, he’s done. It’s a gamble. There’s no question and it’s going to go one of two ways. It’s going to roll snake eyes or it’s going to roll lucky 7s. So far it’s off to a good start. But it’s all on him. Everybody knows how good he is. Everybody knows how talented he is. But it is his time to show he can still do it.”
Worth noting: Jeff Marek said in the chat that “Kuznetsov very briefly enjoyed a raise while in the American Hockey League. He was not paying escrow. He was sticking that money in his jeans not unlike Wade Redden so many years ago who got sent to the AHL and got a raise because of it.”
