Evgeny Kuznetsov's agent says his client will not sign with the Capitals: 'Returning to Washington was not considered'

""A couple more options have emerged. But now everything is in a long-term stage, we can't put a final [pen to paper]," Shumi Babayev told Match TV on Tuesday and translated by Google translate. "Either Evgeny is not happy with something, or we are not. For now we are going in this mode.""

""The option of returning to Washington was not considered," he said to Sport24 Saturday."

""He is training and preparing for the new season," Babayev said. "In recent days, there have been conversations with the heads of NHL clubs, while we are in the process of searching. There are no problems in the negotiations. I am sure that by the beginning of the season, Kuznetsov will already have a team overseas. "We don't have any specific preferences for the club. I think that 60-70 percent of the teams in the NHL have a chance to win the Stanley Cup. Of course, there are a few favorites, but many have a chance.""

Evgeny Kuznetsov's return to the NHL has not yet materialized. A couple more options have emerged, but negotiations remain in a long-term stage with no finalized contract. A return to the Washington Capitals is not being considered. Kuznetsov spent 2024–25 with SKA Saint Petersburg in the KHL, producing 37 points in 39 games while missing time due to injury, and mutually terminated the remainder of his contract in April. He is training and preparing for the new season while conversations with NHL club executives continue. If an NHL deal is not secured, a midseason KHL return remains possible.

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