After a huge trade on Thursday, the Carolina Hurricanes again made headlines on Friday. Around 10:37 am Eastern, Pierre LeBrun of TSN broke the news that the Hurricanes acquired Russian forward Evgeny Kuznetsov from the Washington Capitals for a 2025 3rd-round pick. No one saw this coming after the Hurricanes made the blockbuster deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins to acquire Jake Guentzel and Ty Smith for Michael Bunting, prospects, and draft picks.
The 31-year-old was the 26th overall pick by the Capitals in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. He has spent all 11 years of his NHL career with the team. In 43 games this season, he has six goals and 17 points, and a minus-11 rating. He missed 12 games earlier in the season after entering the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program on Feb. 5. He was recently reassigned to the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL) after being cleared to practice with the Capitals on Mar. 2.
With the Capitals, he’s averaged 18:47 of ice time as a top-six center. In 723 games, he has 171 goals and 568 points. He’s also a 2018 Stanley Cup champion. Last season, he scored 12 goals and 55 points in 81 games.
He made his NHL debut during the 2013-14 season, scoring three goals and nine points in 17 games. His best season was during their championship season when he scored 27 goals and 83 points in 79 games. During the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Kuznetsov had 12 goals and 32 points in 24 games with a plus-12 rating.
Kuznetsov Trade Details & Grade
Kuznetsov is in the 7th year of an eight-year, $62.4 million deal, with an annual average value of $7.8 million, signed in July 2017 before he becomes an unrestricted free agent (UFA) at the end of the 2024-25 season. The Hurricanes acquired a top-six center with term for a 2025 3rd-round pick since the Capitals retained 50% of Kuznetsov’s contract. With half of his salary retained, the Hurricanes will only be carrying $3.9 million of his deal for the rest of 2023-24 and all of next season. That leaves the team with around $1.9 million in cap space before the trade deadline at 3 pm ET.
This is a low-risk, high-reward trade for the Hurricanes, who get a former Stanley Cup winner with term and a manageable AAV. Washington gets a decent draft pick for a player they’ve had in their system since they drafted him in 2010.
This trade earns a B+ grade. However, it could turn into an A if the Hurricanes can find Kuznetsov’s former scoring touch as the team’s possible second-line center, especially in the playoffs. He has proven he can score at will and be a playmaker. He is also a known shootout specialist, which Carolina needs as they are mainly a middle-of-the-road team in that area. This is a great trade, and hopefully, one that works out for the Hurricanes going into the 2024 NHL Playoffs, as well as next season.
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