Evgeny Kuznetsov’s offseason search for a new team is over.
KHL club Sibir Novosibirsk announced Saturday that they have signed Kuznetsov to a one-year contract for the 2026-27 season. Sibir will be the fourth KHL team Kuznetsov has played for since the beginning of the 2024-25 campaign after SKA St. Petersburg, Metallurg Magnitogorsk, and Salvat Yulaev.
According to Match TV, Kuznetsov’s base salary with Sibir will be 35 million rubles (~$427k). He will also receive bonuses of up to 42 million rubles for performance-related objectives. The largest bonus, 10 million rubles, will be for recording 55 points during the season. He has the potential to earn up to 77 million rubles (~$940k) total.
The deal comes after Kuznetsov spent some of his summer back in the Washington, DC area, playing summer league hockey at Reston SkateQuest. He was also rumored to have interest from KHL teams Dinamo Minsk and Traktor Chelyabinsk as well as Swiss teams in the country’s top National League.
“For us, Evgeny is, first and foremost, an experienced player,” Sibir’s general manager Lev Krutokhvostov said in a statement, as translated via Google Translate. “While he has his own history, this forward will bring creativity to the attack, knows how to play on the power play, and is excellent at taking advantage of scoring opportunities. Time will tell how he adapts to our team. Nevertheless, our young forwards will have a lot to learn from Evgeny, as he is a true and recognized master. We are happy to welcome Evgeny to our team!”
Kuznetsov, 34, split the 2025-26 campaign between Metallurg and Salavat, recording 27 points (7g, 20a) in 34 regular-season games. He added two points (1g, 1a) in seven playoff contests.
Ahead of adding Kuznetsov, Sibir’s head coach, Yaroslav Lyuzenkov, said the team needed to bring in a center, adding that the player had to be “the queen, not just any piece on the chess table.”
“Hello, Novosibirsk! As they said, the next signing will be a queen, so it turns out I’m a queen,” Kuznetsov responded Saturday. “That’s what they called me. So, I’ll be a queen. I want to congratulate everyone on the upcoming season. I’m very happy to join the team. I can’t wait to hit the ice in Novosibirsk. So, long live Sibir.”
During his NHL career, Kuznetsov appeared in 743 regular-season games for the Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes, tallying 575 points (173g, 402a). He has been back in Russia since mutually terminating his NHL contract with the Hurricanes in July of 2024.
Kuznetsov was back around the Canes this past spring, attending multiple of their playoff games.
