Multiple Teams Interested in Former Stanley Cup Champion

Former Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes center Evgeny Kuznetsov is seeking a return to the NHL for the 2025-2026 season. The former Stanley Cup winner last played in the NHL during the 2023-2024 season, but he’s eying a fresh start. He spent the last campaign playing in Russia in the KHL.

Now, Kuznetsov wants to return to the NHL. According to his agent, Shumi Babaev, the interest in his client is immense. Speaking to Daria Tuboltseva of RG, Babaev shared the latest update on Kuznetsov’s attempted return.

”In my view, there are about ten teams where Kuznetsov could be a real asset — where there’s both room on the roster and cap space,” he said. ”I think we could have clarity within a couple of weeks.”

The hope is that a team takes advantage of the lower salary demands that Kuznetsov comes with. While the 32-year-old has 575 points in 743 NHL games, he’s going to be available for a much cheaper cap hit for the upcoming season.

“At the same time, he’s not going to cost what he did before — he’s not an $8 million player anymore,” Babaev admitted. ”His new deal will be significantly more affordable, and for many cap-strapped teams, that could be a steal: a quality center at a reasonable price. It’s actually a great moment for a comeback.”

The one thing that Kuznetsov won’t do is try out for a team in the NHL. One of the possibilities that many returning NHL players opt for is a professional tryout (PTO). Babaev shot that option down while speaking to RG, claiming that his client is too well-known a player to try out.

“There’s no need to ‘test’ Kuznetsov. Everyone knows who he is and what he can do,” Babaev asserted.

There are surely multiple teams taking a run at Kuznetsov. A few teams to monitor are the Colorado Avalanche, Philadelphia Flyers, and the Utah Mammoth in the upcoming sweepstakes for the Russian center.