Evgeny Kuznetsov’s return to the KHL last season didn’t exactly go as planned. After playing just one year of his four-year contract with SKA Saint Petersburg, Kuznetsov and SKA mutually terminated the remainder of his deal in early April.
Kuznetsov and his agent, Shumi Babaev, are now searching for the 33-year-old forward’s next home. According to a Sport-Express report earlier this month, KHL team Ak Bars Kazan may be the most interested party in signing Kuznetsov.
“The process of finding a new club for Kuznetsov is going well, we are working on it,” Babaev told Sport24’s Petr Shatrov, per a translation by Google Translate. “I can’t say yet that we are in advanced negotiations with anyone. We are talking with the strongest teams in the KHL. Evgeny is a top player, an elite one. I am sure that he is the best hockey player in the KHL now.”
Kuznetsov made his way back to Russia’s top league after an initial mutual contract termination with the Carolina Hurricanes at the end of the 2023-24 campaign. The move ended an 11-year stint in North America for Kuznetsov, but the 2010 first-round draft pick may not be opposed to returning to the NHL if the right opportunity presents itself.
“We are not currently negotiating with North American clubs,” Babaev said. “If the NHL offer is most preferable, then Evgeny will return there.”
The two-time NHL All-Star has 575 career NHL points (173g, 402a) in 743 career games with the Washington Capitals and Hurricanes. He had just 24 points (8g, 16a) in 63 games split between the Caps and Canes during his final year in the league.
Kuznetsov recorded 37 points (12g, 25a) in 39 games for SKA during the 2024-25 season. His participation in his return campaign was limited due to suffering two separate concussions, which reportedly threatened to keep him out for the remainder of the year.
The 2018 Stanley Cup champion did feature in SKA’s short Gagarin Cup playoff run, notching three points (1g, 2a) in a six-game series loss to Dynamo Moscow.
