The Carolina Hurricanes traded for the Capitals' Evgeny Kuznetsov on Friday after the longtime Washington center had been placed on waivers and assigned to the team's AHL affiliate.
The Capitals received a 2025 third-round pick and retain 50% of Kuznetsov's contract. Kuznetsov, 31, is under contract through the 2024-25 season with a total cap hit of $7.8 million next season and $8 million in actual money owed.
The Hurricanes, who acquired Pittsburgh Penguins winger Jake Guentzel on Thursday night, are going all-in this season after standing pat at last year's deadline. Carolina views Kuznetsov as a potential high-end top-six talent if it works out.
"Evgeny is a high-level playmaker who will add to our offensive firepower," Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell said. "He brings even more playoff experience to our lineup, and we're excited to give him a fresh start in Carolina."
Kuznetsov had been placed on waivers Saturday, hours after the NHL and the players' union said he had progressed in the player assistance program to the point of being able to join the Capitals for practice. Washington had been exploring a trade for Kuznetsov for more than a year as both sides knew a change of scenery could be beneficial.
Kuznetsov's tenure in Washington will be best remembered for the organization's first Stanley Cup in 2018. The Russian center was Washington's leading scorer during the playoff run and memorably scored a series-clinching overtime winner against the rival Penguins -- the team the Capitals could never seem to beat in the playoffs.
However, Kuznetsov has struggled this season, scoring just 17 points in 43 games before taking a leave of absence to enter the player assistance program last month.
Kuznetsov was set to play for the minor league Hershey Bears on Friday night before the trade went down.
The Capitals, who are still in the playoff hunt, are trying to retool their roster on the fly. The team also traded Anthony Mantha to the Vegas Golden Knights and Joel Edmundson to the Toronto Maple Leafs earlier in the week.
Washington now has 26 draft selections over the next three years.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.