It is in the American League that striker Evgeny Kuznetsov will continue his 2023-2024 season.
No National Hockey League (NHL) team has claimed the Russian. This was announced by the Washington Capitals on Sunday, one day after placing the skater’s name on waivers.
The club made this choice a few hours after the NHL and the Players’ Association indicated that Kuznetsov could resume training with the team in the American capital.
The 31-year-old forward had been sidelined since entering the player assistance program at the start of February.
This is not the first time that the 31-year-old hockey player has used this program. In 2019, he joined after failing a cocaine drug test during the World Hockey Championship. He was then suspended for four years by the Russian team.
“Above all, this is a new start for Kuzy,” general manager Brian MacLellan said Saturday, his comments reported by the Monumental Sports Network. He wanted a change of environment and this could set things in motion to make that happen.”
This change of environment will therefore take place with the Hershey Bears, the Capitals’ farm club in the development circuit.
Kuznetsov was having a difficult season before applying to the player assistance program. The first round pick (26e in total) of the “Caps” in the 2010 draft collected 17 points, including six goals, in 43 games. He also has a differential of -11.
Furthermore, Kuznetsov will set an American League record when he plays his first game with the Bears. He will become the highest paid player in the history of the circuit, earning $7.8 million annually.