Evgeny Kuznetsov explains why he left the NHL and signed in the KHL

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Cooper Godin
August 1, 2024 (6:58 PM)

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Former Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes forward Evgeny Kuznetsov explained in an interview on Wednesday why he left the NHL and signed in the KHL.

Evgeny Kuznetsov's time in the National Hockey League and North America has officially come to a close as the Russian forward, who had his contract terminated last week, has agreed to terms on a four-year deal with KHL club SKA St. Petersburg.

The 2024-25 season will mark the first time in just over ten years that Evgeny Kuznetsov has suited up in the KHL. The last time he appeared in a KHL game was early 2014 with his hometown team, Traktor Chelyabinsk, before signing his entry-level contract with the Washington Capitals on March 8th, 2014.

After the news of his four-year contract with SKA St. Petersburg became official, Kuznetsov sat down for an interview with Russian media outlet Match.ru and said that it was time to return to the KHL. Kuznetsov said he thought long and hard about the decision with his family and everyone agreed that the time was right for him to return to Russia and play in the KHL, adding that he's excited to be with SKA St. Petersburg.

"It was a well-considered decision," Kuznetsov said. "We made it with the whole family. Perhaps my time has come � everyone has their own time, and you have to leave in time. In this case, it was to leave the NHL. We're all very happy to be in St. Petersburg."

Kuznetsov also shared that he was offered a contract by his hometown team in Chelyabinsk, but wasn't ready to return there and play for the team he spent five seasons with before heading to the National Hockey League.

"Very big opportunities in SKA, very strong organization," he said, adding, "Things worked out so well that I'm not ready to go to Chelyabinsk yet... the city itself, it would be very hard for me there, and I need time to readjust a little bit. If I were to leave Washington and Raleigh and go straight to Chelaybinsk, I wouldn't have a quiet life. I probably wouldn't be able to go outside at all."

Kuznetsov, 32, appeared in 743 games across 11 seasons in the National Hockey League with the Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes, putting up 575 points (173 goals, 402 assists), 394 penalty minutes and was a plus-38. He went on to add 73 points in 97 playoff games, helping the Washington Capitals win their first-ever Stanley Cup in 2018.