Evgeny Kuznetsov is staying busy and in shape this offseason as he waits to find out where he’ll be playing next season.
Back in the United States, the former Washington Capitals center has been skating at Reston SkateQuest in Virginia with a host of pro and junior players with ties to the area, including fellow KHL star Sam Anas.
The two posed for a photo together after playing on the same team in 3-on-3 summer-league action earlier this week.
Kuznetsov and Anas were joined on the ice in Virginia by many younger players from the area, including Kareem El-Bashir, the son of Monumental Sports Network’s Tarik El-Bashir, who is headed to play at Army (NCAA) in the fall. Other notable names participating in the games included Lacey Eden (PWHL no. 5 overall pick by Las Vegas), Joe Snively (former Capital and back-to-back Calder Cup champion with the Hershey Bears), Patrick Giles (San Jose Sharks), Grace Campbell (PWHL Toronto Sceptres), Andrew Lucas (Slovak Extraliga), and Ture Linden (DEL2).
According to a recent report by Sport-Express’ Arthur Khairullin, Kuznetsov and Anas might be getting used to playing together, as Anas’ KHL club, Dinamo Minsk, has apparently offered Kuznetsov a one-year contract worth approximately 35 million rubles (~$457k) plus undisclosed bonuses.
Kuznetsov, 34, is currently a free agent after spending the past two seasons back in the KHL. He split the 2025-26 campaign between Metallurg Magnitogorsk and Salavat Yulaev, recording 27 points (7g, 20a) in 34 regular-season games. He added two points (1g, 1a) in seven playoff contests.
Anas was presented the KHL’s Top Scorer Award after recording 89 points (32g, 57a) this past year and tying Nikita Gusev’s single-season scoring record originally set in 2023-24 with Dynamo Moscow. He formed an impressive connection with Alex Limoges, a fellow former Calder Cup champion with the Hershey Bears, and Belarusian forward Vitali Pinchuk. The latter departed the club in April, signing with the NHL’s Nashville Predators.
The latest report on Kuznetsov’s future comes a couple of months after his agent, Shumi Babaev, said Kuznetsov would not be returning to Salavat Yulaev next season. According to Babaev, Kuznetsov could have headed west to Switzerland to play in the National League if another KHL club didn’t come knocking with a contract offer.
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.
