Evgeny Kuznetsov Signs Two-Year Contract With KHL's Traktor

Washington Capitals prospect Evgeny Kuznetsov will be staying over in mother Russia for at least the next two seasons. This was forwarded by Neil Greenberg from the twitter page of the operator of RussiaHockeyFans.com, Alexandr Zaytsev.

And that's that. RT: @AlexandrZaytsev: #Caps prospect Evgeny Kuznetsov has officially signed a two-year contract with Traktor.

— Neil Greenberg (@ngreenberg) June 4, 2012

This signing means that the 2010 first round draft pick will not be rocking the red at the Verizon Center any time soon. There could be some speculation as to how this move by Kuznetsov could effect negotiations with free agent forward and fellow Russian Alexander Semin, but there is no news on that just yet.

The Capitals hope that this will not be the first couple of dominoes that lead to them completely revamping the team, as they still do not have a replacement head coach for Dale Hunter.

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Capitals Do Not Expect Evgeny Kuznetsov To Join Team In 2012-13

Washington Capitals General Manager George McPhee told reporters Monday that he did not expect Russian prospect Evgeny Kuznetsov to join the team in 2012-13.

The #Caps do not expect Kuznetsov to join the team next year, McPhee said.

— Katie Carrera (@kcarrera) May 14, 2012

It was McPhee's first public acknowledgement of Kuznetsov's decision to stay in Russia's Kontinental Hockey League for two more seasons, which was initially reported May 1.

Kuznetsov, who was selected with the 26th overall pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, cited his desire to play in the 2014 Winter Olympics, which will be held in the Russian city of Sochi, as the main reason he chose to stay in the KHL.

Kuznetsov's absence is a blow to Washington's potential plans to retool their roster, particularly in terms of building depth at the center position. It might also have an effect on whether or not Alexander Semin returns, though that remains to be seen.

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Capitals Prospect Evgeny Kuznetsov Will Stay In KHL For Two More Years

A few weeks ago there was a bit of a stir caused by some comments made by Evgeny Kuznetsov, one of the Capitlas top prospects. He originally said that he would be staying in the KHL for another year, then backtracked and said that he did not mean it when he said that. He has now said that he will stay in the KHL for two years, and there has been no retraction issued.

Sochi'd RT: @FriedgeHNIC: According to @plysenkov, high-level Capitals prospect Kuznetsov has decided to stay in KHL for two more seasons.

— Neil Greenberg (@ngreenberg) May 1, 2012

Here we go again RT: @dchesnokov: #Caps prospect Kuznetsov tells SovSport not ready for the NHL and decided to stay in the KHL 2 more years.

— Neil Greenberg (@ngreenberg) May 1, 2012

The Capitals selected the Russian forward with the 26th pick in the first round of the 2010 NHL Draft, and are still trying to get some return on this investment. We will need to have more information about whether or not Kuznetsov's agreement to stay for two years is binding, or if he could cut it short and come over after next season. There is also a chance that he could retract these comments like he did last time.

Evgeny Kuznetsov Now Says Claim He Was Staying In KHL Was 'Not Serious'

The last Capitals fans heard from prospect Evgeny Kuznetsov, Washington's highest-rated prospect was planning to stay in Russia and play in the KHL next season. It now appears, at least based on a recent Kuznetsov interview, that perhaps he will not be staying in the KHL. Washington Capitals blog Russian Machine Never Breaks has more:

major #KuzyaWatch update: In his interview Rossiya 2 TV after today's game Kuznetsov admits statement about staying in KHL was not serious

— Igor Kleyner (@IgorKleyner) March 24, 2012

Kuznetsov: "I said I was staying [in KHL] just so they would leave me alone."

— Igor Kleyner (@IgorKleyner) March 24, 2012

Kuznetsov, the 26th overall pick in the 2010 NHL Draft, is Washington's highest-ranked prospect and would be a welcome addition to the Capitals line-up next season. Of course, based on his penchant for saying 'not serious' things in interviews, this new proclamation should be taken with the requisite grain of salt.

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Money, Family Two Reasons Why Evgeni Kuznetsov Might Stay In Russia's KHL, According to Report

When news got out that Capitals prospect Evgeni Kuznetsov would stay in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), there was some skepticism, mostly due to the fact that he had made the announcement on the KHL-TV channel.

Writing on the Washington Post's Capitals Insider blog, Russian sports journalism Slava Malamud, who along with Dmitry Chesnokov has some of the best insight into Russian hockey, elaborated the reasons for why Kuznetsov might stay in Russia.

Kuznetsov will become an unrestricted free agent this summer and is expected to be fought over by the league’s richest clubs. While the Capitals can only give him the standard entry-level NHL contract, worth just less than $1 million, KHL’s "oligarchs" such as SKA St. Petersburg and Salavat Yulayev Ufa are in a position to offer Kuznetsov at least four or five times that salary. It is probable that his family situation played a part in his decision. (Kuznetsov was married last summer, which is much more common for 19-year-olds in Russia than in the United States.)

Another aspect that Malamud doesn't mention is the fact that the NHL's Collective Bargaining Agreement expires after this season. With a lockout looming as a real threat, it's no surprise that Kuznetsov would take the more financially secure option. (It's worth noting that Alex Ovechkin would have stayed in Russia during the 2004-2005 season even if it hadn't been canceled by the last lockout.)

We should not count the Capitals out quite yet. However, Kuznetsov's quote, as relayed by Malamud, seems pretty definitive.

"To be honest, my decision has been reached," the 19-year-old phenom said. "It is my intention to continue my career in the KHL. At the same time there is no clarity as to which club it will be."

It's not that hard, even on a league-owned TV station, to say the Russian equivalent of "I haven't decided yet."

If Kuznetsov doesn't come to the U.S., the Capitals will likely have to go at least another season without a prospect whom many had figured would provide scoring depth as a second-line center behind Nicklas Backstrom and, possibly, be a replacement for Alexander Semin. Make no mistake, Kuznetsov's statement is a big deal.

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Evgeny Kuznetsov Will Remain In KHL Next Season, According To Interview

Washington Capitals prospect Evgeny Kuznetsov said in a Russian interview that he will remain in the KHL next season and not join the Caps, according to Dmitry Chesnokov.

In an interview to KHL-TV #Caps prospect Evgeni Kuznetsov said he is staying in the #KHL next year.

— Dmitry Chesnokov (@dchesnokov) March 14, 2012

Kuznetsov is the Caps' highest-ranked prospect as well as The Hockey News' top-ranked prospect in their annual prospect issue. The 26th overall pick in the 2010 NHL Draft, Kuznetsov has 19 goals and 41 points for Chelyabinsk Traktor.

In December 2011, General Manager George McPhee said that he expected Kuznetsov to leave the KHL for the NHL next season, but apparently that might not be the case. Kuznetsov has impressed on the worldwide stage in recent years as a member of Russia's World Junior Championship teams, including a nine-point performance in a 14-0 win over Latvia. Not having Kuznetsov would be a huge blow to Washington's future plans.

For more on the Capitals, check out Japers Rink. For more news, analysis, and commentary on the rest of the NHL, check out SB Nation's NHL hub.

Evgeny Kuznetsov Injury: Capitals Prospect Out Three To Five Weeks, According To Report

Evgeny Kuznetsov, probably the best prospect in the Washington Capitals organization, suffered a knee injury on Friday playing in the KHL and had to be carted off the ice. Initially thought to be a minor injury, Keznetsov traveled to Germany to have his knee ligaments further examined, and it is now being reported Kuznetsov will miss three to five weeks. Here is a tweet from Adam Vingan of the blog Kings of Leonsis, referencing a report from Alessandro Seren Ross, a writer for RussianProspect.com:

#caps RT @AlexSerenRosso: Kuznetsov is out 3-5 weeks.

— Adam Vingan (@Adam_KOL) February 26, 2012

Kuznetsov was having an excellent year in the KHL prior to the injury, totaling 41 points in 48 games for his Traktor Chelyabinsk club.

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Evgeny Kuznetsov Injury: Knee Will Be Examined In Germany, According To Report

Evgeny Kuznetsov, a first round draft pick and arguably the top prospect in the Washington Capitals' organization, suffered a knee injury on Friday in the KHL and had to be carted off the ice. The extent of his injury is not yet know, and now it appears Kuznetsov will be traveling to find out exactly what is wrong with his knee. Via Jay Grossman of PuckAgency.com:

Kuznetsov on his way to Germany for examination of knee ligaments

— Jay Grossman (@Jay_Grossman) February 25, 2012

Prior to the injury, Kuznetsov was excelling in the KHL, amassing 41 points in 48 games for his Traktor Chelyabinsk club. The Capitals are very eager to see the talented youngster leave Russia and the KHL for the nation's capital and the NHL.

For more news, analysis, and discussion on the Capitals, visit Japers' Rink, SB Nation's Caps blog. For all your NHL news and notes, be sure to follow along at SB Nation's NHL news hub.

Evgeny Kuznetsov Injury: MRI Negative On Top Caps Prospect

Well, what do you know? It turns out that Evgeny Kuznetsov's Russian agent was right, after all.

Per Slava Malamud:

Official word from Traktor is in! MRIs negative, just a "slight damage to the knee ligaments", Kuznetsov's injury not as serious as feared

Malamud went on to say that it looks like Kuznetsov will miss less than a week with the injury.

Traktor's website says Kuznetsov is expected to be ready to play in the Gagarin Cup playoffs March 1.

We're not sure we'd be overly happy with that if we were George McPhee. I mean, you know that the kid (and he is just 19 years old) has an obligation to perform for his club. On the other hand, hockey fans on two continents just spent the better part of Friday hyperventilating over the possibility that Kuznetsov would be out for a very long time. Might be a good idea to ease him back into this one.

But at least he's OK. On three, everybody exhale. One, two ...

Evgeny Kuznetsov Injury: Agent Says Capitals Prospect May Only Miss Three Weeks

We got a little ahead of ourselves after this info came across the Twitter wires, and we were duly smacked down for it. However, if Evgeny Kuznetsov's agent is correct, the Capitals' top forward prospect has dodged a huge bullet.

Via Slava Malamud of Russia's Sport-Express newspaper:

Kuznetsov's agent tells Sport-Express the diagnosis is a severe bruise of soft tissues. May miss three weeks. #Caps

That's the only kind of word anyone's gotten since the incident happened Friday night, Russia time. Yahoo's Dmitry Chesnokov, the other major reporter on this story, had only this to say:

Unconfirmed reports at this point that Kuznetsov may indeed only have a severe bruise. He's not picking up his phone

Even Malamud himself has urged caution in the wake of these reports:

Again, I'd advise waiting for the official word from Traktor. #Caps

And so, we wait with bated breath and hope that Kuznetsov's Russian agent knows something that no one else does.

VIDEO: Evgeny Kuznetsov's Injury

Capitals Prospect Evgeny Kuznetsov Seriously Injured In KHL Game On Friday

Top Capitals prospect Evgeny Kuznetsov had to be carted off the ice after suffering a serious injury while playing in the KHL on Friday.