RALEIGH, NC. – Forward Evgeny Kuznetsov cleared unconditional waivers on Thursday, and his contract with the Carolina Hurricanes has been terminated.

Moving forward, there are rumors suggesting that the 32-year-old player will be returning to his home country of Russia. This will be for the 2024-25 season, which happens to be the final year of his contract with the Canes. His current deal with the team carries an AAV of $3.9M.

“Ultimately both sides agreed this was the best course of action for both the player and the team,” Canes General Manager Eric Tulsky said on Wednesday. “We thank Evgeny for his time with the team and wish him and his family the best.”

Following the removal of Kuznetsov’s salary, Carolina has $13.8M in available cap space, per PuckPedia.  Some or all of that money could be used to sign current restricted free agents Seth Jarvis and Martin Necas.

On Thursday, the Canes locked up the team’s other restricted free agent, Jack Drury, signing him to a two-year deal carrying an AAV of $1.72M.

Evgeny Kuznetsov has been placed on unconditional waivers by the Carolina Hurricanes for the purpose of terminating his contract. #NHLTonight discusses what the move means for both Kuznetsov and the Canes moving forward.@JamisonCoyle | @Rupper17 | #CauseChaos pic.twitter.com/PBjUSvG8xh

— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) July 17, 2024

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