Evgeny Kuznetsov was placed on KHL waivers by Metallurg Magnitogorsk on Saturday. According to Sport-Express’s Arthur Khairullin, the move was a joint decision by the team and the player so that Kuznetsov could move on to a new club where he would receive more opportunity and playing time.
Kuznetsov has not played in a KHL game since December 19, when he skated just 4:49 of ice time against his former team, Traktor Chelyabinsk.
Metallurg’s head coach, Andrei Razin, has consistently criticized Kuznetsov’s fitness level this season, making the veteran forward a regular healthy scratch.
“It’s clear that Zhenya is very weak functionally,” Razin told Match TV after Kuznetsov’s Metallurg debut, as translated via Google Translate. “There were moments when we were locked down in the second period. His physicality was evident there.”
“At the moment, Kuznetsov is in very poor physical shape, which is resulting in a bunch of losses, a bunch of lost duels,” Razin later said in November, per Nikita Nadezhin.
There were early signs that Kuznetsov’s relationship with Razin would be a tumultuous one, as during a late October game, Kuznetsov left Metallurg’s bench mid-game and watched the rest in street clothes. Soon after that game, Razin was asked why Metallurg had brought Kuznetsov in after he had missed the entire preseason, and delivered a somewhat strange, very blunt response.
“There was an empress named Catherine the Great. What do people remember her for? Call a spade a spade,” Razin said via Hockey on Kinopoisk, as translated via Google Translate. “She introduced the concept of favoritism. She’s remembered as a libertine. But in reality, she annexed Crimea, Novorossiya, and part of the Caucasus to the Russian Empire.
“So I’d compare Evgeny to that. He’ll either be remembered as a world champion, a Stanley Cup winner, or, to put it bluntly, as an alcoholic. While I wouldn’t call him an alcoholic, that’s a public perception that’s very hard to shake. Now he’s got a chance to prove he’s truly a great hockey player. This is his defining opportunity. He understands it, I think he realizes it.”
Kuznetsov was given the chance to respond to Razin’s words and revealed the bench boss had personally given him a similar message when he joined the team.
“You can nitpick the words, or you can delve into their meaning and see the underlying message,” Kuznetsov told Rossiyskaya Gazeta’s Ilya Uchvatov, as translated via Google Translate. “I took these words calmly because I understood what Razin meant.
“I like this kind of communication, when everyone tells you things straight out, not in a backhanded way. Especially since I’m one of the veterans. Who better than me to be a role model for the younger guys? They watch how I react to things, how I conduct myself.”
Kuznetsov’s next destination is already known, as Salavat Yulaev has placed a claim on the 33-year-old forward. The team is led by another former Washington Capitals forward, Viktor Kozlov, who has served as head coach since the 2022-23 campaign.
“We contacted the club and asked to be placed on waivers,” Kuznetsov’s agent, Shumi Babaev, told Match TV, as translated via Google Translate. “According to the regulations, this was the only way to go wherever we wanted. Metallurg never does that, but we asked, and they accommodated us. We’re fine; we have excellent relations with the club, we’ve fulfilled all the conditions, and we’ve been honest. Evgeny asked for the opportunity to move on.”
Kozlov met with Kuznetsov in August, before the latter officially joined Metallurg. Salavat Yulaev currently sits just on the edge of the KHL playoff picture, eighth in the Eastern Conference with a 17-20-4 record.
In 15 games this season, Kuznetsov has collected nine points (1g, 8a), skating 11:43 time on ice per game. Under his one-year contract with Metallurg, Kuznetsov is set to earn 10 million rubles ($125k) this year.
The 2025-26 season is Kuznetsov’s second back in the KHL after playing parts of 11 seasons in the NHL with the Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes. He played 45 combined regular-season and playoff games for SKA Saint Petersburg last year before a mutual agreement to terminate his contract.
With Salavat Yulaev, Kuznetsov will join a roster led offensively by former Hershey Bears winger Sheldon Rempal, who has 15 points (4g, 11a) in 12 games since departing Hershey for the KHL earlier this season. The team’s next-most productive player is 18-year-old Montreal Canadiens prospect Alexander Zharovsky, who has 29 points (11g, 18a) in 33 games.
Kuznetsov’s first chance to play for his new team comes on Monday, as Salavat Yulaev faces off against Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk.
