Kuznetsov's contract terminated after clearing waivers

The Carolina Hurricanes placed forward Evgeny Kuznetsov on unconditional waivers for the purpose of mutual contract termination Wednesday.

He cleared waivers Thursday.

Kuznetsov is forgoing the final year of his contract to return to Russia, according to Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli. The 32-year-old had a $7.8-million cap hit split between the Hurricanes and Washington Capitals, who retained 50% of the veteran's salary after trading him to Carolina in March.

His cap hit will be fully removed from both team's books this season, according to PuckPedia.

The Capitals drafted Kuznetsov 26th overall in 2010, and he spent 11 years with the organization after breaking into the NHL in 2013-14. He recorded 568 points in 723 games in Washington and was one of the league's top playmaking centers in his prime.

Kuznetsov's tenure with the Capitals was highlighted by a dominant 2018 postseason in which he led all skaters with 32 points as Washington won its first Stanley Cup.

In the years following the championship, Kuznetsov's production tailed off. He was placed on waivers by the Capitals last season and was admitted into the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program in February.

Kuznetsov notched seven points in 20 games with the Hurricanes and added six more in the playoffs.

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