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Veteran forward Evgeni Kuznetsov will no longer wear the Salavat Yulaev Ufa jersey. The KHL club officially announced the end of their collaboration on Saturday, strongly reigniting speculation about a possible return of the 34-year-old Russian to North America.
A short-lived Russian exile
Kuznetsov had left the NHL in the summer of 2025, after a lackluster season split between the Washington Capitals and the Carolina Hurricanes.
Kuznetsov had left the NHL in the summer of 2025, after a lackluster season split between the Washington Capitals and the Carolina Hurricanes. His contract with SKA Saint Petersburg, signed for four years, was terminated by mutual agreement after just a few months. Salavat Yulaev Ufa picked him up in January 2026.
Under Alexander Zharovsky's leadership, the center compiled 6 goals and 12 assists in 19 regular-season games. Respectable numbers, but far from the standards that had made him one of the most creative offensive leaders in the North American league. The Bashkir club announced the separation without detailing the reasons. The timing, a few weeks before the start of the 2026-2027 KHL season, rules out the possibility of a simple contractual disagreement and points to a decision matured on both sides.
An agent who has been preparing the ground for months
Shumi Babaev, Kuznetsov's agent, makes no secret of his protégé's intentions. He confirmed in recent weeks that the player is aiming for a return to the NHL, mentioning discussions held with several franchises. As early as May, the name of the Montreal Canadiens was circulating insistently in this matter.
At 34, Kuznetsov has over 740 regular-season NHL games under his belt. His peripheral vision and passing accuracy remain assets that few third lines can boast of having. A rebuilding franchise looking for a mentor for its young centers, or a playoff contender wanting to bolster its roster: the Russian's resume checks several boxes.
The shadow of 2018 and the weight of years
It's impossible to mention Kuznetsov without thinking of that spring 2018 when he swept everything. Thirty-two points in twenty-four playoff games, a peak no player had reached in a single postseason since Evgeni Malkin nine years earlier. His overtime pass against Pittsburgh in the second round, his decisive goal in the final against Vegas: these images went around the world and etched his name into the Capitals' pantheon.
His stint in Carolina in 2024-2025 belongs to another era. Seven goals and nineteen points in sixty-three games, too meager a return to convince the Hurricanes to keep him. The detour through the KHL was supposed to serve as a launching pad. It mainly confirmed a truth that Kuznetsov himself seems to have accepted: his best hockey years may still be ahead of him, but in a different, more targeted role.
The four-year suspension handed down by the International Federation in 2026 for an anti-doping rule violation only concerns competitions under the IIHF banner. Babaev has been careful to clarify this point with interested sports management: nothing prevents his client from signing in the NHL as early as this summer.
The ball is in the general managers' court. The free agent market still has a few names, but few available players boast the pedigree of a Stanley Cup winner, author of one of the greatest offensive runs of the decade. The question remains who will bet on the return of the Tsar.