The Florida Panthers announced their star centerman, Aleksander Barkov, will miss the next seven to nine months after undergoing surgery to repair torn ACL and MCL ligaments in his knee on Friday.
Barkov’s injury has left the Panthers with a giant hole down the middle, and they’re reportedly considering filling the void with an intriguing free agent option: former Washington Capitals star Evgeny Kuznetsov. Kuznetsov has been searching for an NHL return since terminating his KHL contract with SKA Saint Petersburg, and Florida has emerged as a potential suitor.
“Evgeny wants to play in the NHL. Right now, he’s waiting on Toronto’s decision, though Florida is also an option,” an unnamed source told RG’s Daria Tuboltseva on Saturday.
Kuznetsov would have huge shoes to fill in Florida, as Barkov finished the 2024-25 campaign with 71 points (20g, 51a) in 67 games, captaining the Panthers to back-to-back Stanley Cup titles. He is also the winner of the 2024 and 2025 Selke Trophies, as the league’s top defensive forward.
The 33-year-old Kuznetsov last played an NHL game in May 2024, finishing the season with 24 points (8g, 16a) in 63 games split between the Capitals and the Carolina Hurricanes. The Panthers also could survive without bringing in another center, as they still have Sam Bennett, Anton Lundell, Evan Rodrigues, and Luke Kunin to fill all four pivot spots.
There are just 10 days until the NHL regular season begins, so any decision will have to be made soon, as training camps are coming to a close. All 32 NHL teams must declare their Opening Night rosters by 5 pm ET on October 6.
Kuznetsov’s agent, Shumi Babaev, aggressively shopped his client over the summer. He claimed earlier in September that no fewer than 10 NHL teams were interested in signing the 2018 Stanley Cup champion.
“There are many teams with whom we have already held talks. More than 10 clubs. With some, it was positive; some refused,” Babaev said.
Babaev downplayed throughout the summer any speculation that Kuznetsov could make a return to the Capitals, the team with which he spent 11 seasons in the NHL. The latest Russian rumors, emerging from Sport-Express, were that Kuznetsov would sign a contract with the KHL’s Metallurg Magnitogorsk. However, Babaev denied that news to Tuboltseva.
“That’s just a rumor,” Babaev said. “We haven’t had any talks with Metallurg.”
Kuznetsov spent the 2024-25 season with SKA in the KHL, recording just 37 points (12g, 25a) in 39 games due to suffering two separate concussions.
The Chelyabinsk native spent a significant amount of his offseason in the DC area, appearing multiple times at Capitals MedStar Iceplex to play beer league hockey, but is currently in his native Russia as his wait to return to North America continues.
