Evgeny Kuznetsov could return to the KHL team that gave him a professional start to his career.
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. The termination leaves the 33-year-old center a free agent, and as he and his agent, Shumi Babaev, seek the right fit, there could be some interest from Traktor Chelyabinsk for a Kuznetsov comeback.
“I’ll say it this way: there is a chance,” Traktor GM Ivan Savin said this week, as translated via Google Translate. “But we need to understand that the coaching staff will consider various candidates for the necessary positions. In short, the decision will be made taking into account all the circumstances.”
Before Kuznetsov joined the NHL with the Capitals in 2014, he had starred in the KHL for parts of five seasons with Traktor. His highest-scoring finish in Russia’s premier professional league came during the 2012-13 campaign, when he finished with 44 points (19g, 25a) in 51 games, which was good for the seventh-best mark 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 entire end of the year.
The 2018 Stanley Cup champion has previously stated that he’d like to conclude his playing career with his hometown team.
“I have a great career ahead of me at SKA,” Kuznetsov said last year. “And then Traktor awaits me.”
Babaev did not rule out an NHL return for Kuznetsov if the right deal were offered, but a move to a different KHL team, such as Traktor, remains the more likely outcome.
Kuznetsov is currently back in the United States, hanging out with former Capitals teammate Alex Alexeyev and driving a U-Haul truck while wearing a Goofy hat.
The 2010 first-round pick and two-time NHL All-Star then recorded 575 career points (173g, 402a) in 743 career games with the Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes.
