Hurricanes placed Evgeny Kuznetsov on unconditional waivers to terminate his NHL contract

The Carolina Hurricanes placed Evgeny Kuznetsov on unconditional waivers Wednesday for the purpose of terminating his contract, a move that brings an abrupt end to the rollercoaster career of the talented but inconsistent NHL center.

Kuznetsov was still owed $6 million of his $8 million salary in the final season of his seven-year, $64.2 million contract originally signed in 2017. He walks away from that and keeps the $2 million bonus paid at the beginning of this month.

“Ultimately, both sides agreed that this was the best course of action for both the player and the team.” general manager Eric Tulsky he said. “We thank Evgeny for his time with the team and wish him and his family the best.”

Reports emerged earlier in the week that Kuznetsov was planning to mutually terminate his contract and return home to Russia to play for SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL. He and his team had to agree to such a move for it to happen now, unless the Hurricanes expect a buyout window to open later this summer when one of their restricted free agent arbitration cases is resolved.

Kuznetsov’s agent, Craig Oster, did not respond Wednesday afternoon to a message seeking comment on the mutual termination or clarity on his client’s future.

While an arbitration hearing remains on the docket for Martin Necas, Carolina on Wednesday re-signed Jack Drury to a two-year, $3.45 million contract and has yet to reach a deal for forward Seth Jarvis worth about $3.45 million. $13 million in salary cap space to spend.

“Jack made tremendous strides last season to solidify himself as an important part of our forward group,” Tulsky said in announcing the Drury deal. “He is an extremely hard worker at both ends of the ice who we can trust in all situations, and we are excited to watch his continued growth in Carolina.”

The growth of young forwards is possible for the Hurricanes after an offseason of change that included the departures of Jake Guentzel, Teuvo Teravainen and Stefan Noesen — plus now Kuznetsov.

Carolina acquired Kuznetsov from Washington before the trade deadline in March, with the Capitals agreeing to retain half of their $7.8 million cap hit. His departure from North America eliminates the $3.9 million cap obligation for each team.

Kuznetsov was the leading scorer and Conn Smythe the runner-up in the Capitals’ 2018 Stanley Cup campaign, but has been up and down since then, a constant subject of trade rumors and speculation. He had 13 points in 30 games in a limited role with the Hurricanes as they reached the second round, and coach Rod Brind’Amour even made Kuznetsov a healthy scratch for one game in the playoff series against the New York Rangers.

The inconsistency didn’t go unnoticed by Kuznetsov, who after an early-season game in October 2018 said he didn’t care about being one of the top five hockey players.

“To be MVP, you have to work hard 365 (days) in a year, but I’m not ready for that,” Kuznetsov said. I don’t have to play and you don’t understand every time these pieces play. It’s not easy to do. But to be MVP in this league you have to play even better. You have to go to the next level. It’s not easy. Most importantly, you have to stay focused 365 (days), but that’s not my style.”

His problem wasn’t just with the ice. The league in September 2019 suspended Kuznetsov for three games without pay for “inappropriate conduct”, less than a month after being banned from playing for Russia for four years due to a positive cocaine test.

Kuznetsov more recently joined the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program in February. After he was cleared by program administrators to practice, the The Capitals placed him on waivers with the hope of giving him a fresh start and later sending him to the minors.

Before playing for the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League, Kuznetsov was traded to Carolina for a 2025 third-round pick.

Kuznetsov was the 26th pick in Washington’s draft in 2010. He has scored 206 goals and 442 assists for 648 points in 840 regular-season and playoff games since making his NHL debut in 2014.

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