The Carolina Hurricanes have placed forward Evgeny Kuznetsov on unconditional waivers to terminate his contract by mutual agreement, the team announced Wednesday.
According to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, Kuznetsov is giving up the final year of his contract to return to Russia. The 32-year-old’s contract carried a $7.8-million cap hit, split between the Hurricanes and the Washington Capitals, who retained 50% of his salary after trading him to Carolina in March.
PuckPedia reports that his cap hit will be completely removed from both teams’ books for this season.
Drafted 26th overall by the Capitals in 2010, Kuznetsov played 11 years with the team after entering the NHL in the 2013-14 season. He amassed 568 points in 723 games with Washington and was considered one of the league’s top playmaking centers during his peak.
Kuznetsov’s career with the Capitals was marked by a standout 2018 postseason, where he led all players with 32 points as Washington secured its first Stanley Cup.
However, his performance declined in the subsequent seasons. The Capitals placed Kuznetsov on waivers last season, and he entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program in February.
Kuznetsov scored seven points in 20 games with the Hurricanes and added six points in the playoffs.
