Contract group: which Russians are looking for a job in the NHL

A little less than a month has passed since the opening of the free agent market in the NHL, and most Russian hockey players overseas have signed contracts with their clubs. But there are also those who, for various reasons, are still out of work. And among them are hockey players with many years of regular experience playing in the strongest league in the world, such as goalkeepers Ilya Samsonov and Alexander Georgiev, as well as striker Evgeny Kuznetsov, who returned to Russia a year ago and is again looking for a place in the NHL. In addition, striker Maxim Tsyplakov, who made his debut last season with the New York Islanders, is trying to achieve better terms of a new contract through arbitration.

Evgeny Kuznetsov

A native of Chelyabinsk, he played for the Washington Capitals for 10 years, and for a long time was one of the main stars of the capital's team. When this club won the Stanley Cup for the first time in its history in 2018, Kuznetsov's contribution to success was estimated no less than Alexander Ovechkin's contribution. But in recent years, things have not been going well for the two-time world champion overseas.

The decline began around the time of the 2019 doping scandal, when the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) disqualified Kuznetsov for four years, which meant he was unable to compete for the national team in European club tournaments, including the KHL. Since the NHL did not subscribe to the rules of the IIHF and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), Evgeny was suspended overseas for a short time, so he quickly resumed playing for Washington.

But since then, his playing level in North America has been gradually declining. In the 2023/24 season, the 33-year-old hockey player dropped out of the squad several times, and in February 2024 he missed some matches due to being included in the NHL player assistance program. After passing it, Washington put Kuznetsov up for the waivers draft. Soon, the forward was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes. But in July, Carolina put him on waivers, and then terminated his contract with Evgeny due to the lack of clubs willing to buy out his agreement.

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Two weeks later, he returned to Russia, signing a four-year contract with SKA St. Petersburg. Kuznetsov played erratically in the KHL, and dropped out of the squad in the second half of the season due to injuries. Towards the end of the regular season, there were rumors in the media that he began to miss matches with SKA for disciplinary reasons, but the club did not publicly confirm this.

However, in the spring, shortly after the departure of the Army team in the first round of the playoffs, the contract with Kuznetsov was terminated. Later, there were rumors about his transfer to Ak Bars Kazan and his return to his native Traktor Chelyabinsk, but in the summer, the hockey player's agent Shumi Babaev informed Sport-Express about negotiations with NHL clubs. Many people thought a year ago, after leaving for St. Petersburg, that Evgeny's career overseas was over. However, so far there have been no denials from local clubs and the media regarding his possible return, which makes it necessary to take seriously the talks about employment in the NHL.

—In terms of his skill level, Kuznetsov still corresponds to the level of the NHL," Vladimir Krikunov, the former head coach of the Russian national team, shared his opinion with Izvestia. — And in his best matches for SKA last season, he showed that he is still a master. Another thing is that Evgeny was very unstable. Besides, his reaction time and decision-making speed are not the same as in his best years. This is normal — not everyone can play at a high level all their lives and stay in the lead for a long time, like Ovechkin. Therefore, I doubt that Kuznetsov will be able to play in the NHL. I admit that he will find a club there, but he is unlikely to play at his former level. And he can still succeed in the KHL.

Maxim Tsyplakov

The 26-year-old striker spent the KHL season before last with Spartak Moscow very effectively, and already in January 2024 there were rumors about the interest of about a dozen NHL clubs in him. As a result, Tsyplakov left for the New York Islanders last summer. Last season, which was Maxim's debut overseas, turned out to be quite productive for the newcomer — 35 (10+25) points in the goal+pass system in the regular season.

But the club offered a new contract with a salary of only $897,000 per season, which is considered below market value for players with such statistics. As a result, the Russian striker submitted an application to the NHL arbitration. As a result, he will either change clubs or receive a more substantial agreement from the Islanders. Many experts believe that Tsyplakov will eventually find a job in the NHL for a salary of under $2.5 million.

"I would like Tsyplakov to sign a new contract with our club," Alexander Romanov, defender of the New York Islanders, told Izvestia. — He has everything to gain a foothold in the NHL. Maxim is a great guy, we communicate well. And in his debut season, he performed well, although it was a period of adaptation to the NHL. But he still has something to strive for. And Max understands this — he has a great motivation to prove himself and stay in the NHL for a long time.

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Ilya Samsonov

The Magnitogorsk native went overseas back in 2018. Then, through the Washington farm club Hershey Bears, Samsonov managed to break into the foundation of the capital's team and make his NHL debut. But in 2022, he moved to the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he lasted only two years. A year ago, Ilya joined the Vegas Golden Knights, where he played the role of backup (second goalkeeper).

His contract with the Nevada club expired this summer. Now the 28-year-old goalkeeper is looking for new options in the NHL, but his agent Sergey Isakov, in a conversation with Sport-Express, did not rule out Samsonov's return to the KHL, where the rights to him belong to Magnitogorsk Metallurg.

Alexander Georgiev

Like Samsonov, our other goalkeeper has also been unstable in the NHL since the late 2010s. At one time, he managed to oust Swedish club legend Henrik Lundqvist from the base of the New York Rangers, but soon lost the competition to his compatriot Igor Shesterkin, who became one of the best goalkeepers in the league.

In 2022, Georgiev joined the ranks of the current Stanley Cup winner Colorado Avalanche, signing a three-year contract with him. After playing his first season as the main goalkeeper, Alexander later began to lose playing time and in 2024 was traded to the San Jose Sharks, one of the weakest teams in the league in recent years. But at the end of last season, the contract was not extended.

Georgiev is now looking for new options in the NHL. According to Sport-Express, the goalkeeper is not considering returning to Russia, where the rights to it belong to Spartak.

San Jose also did not extend the contract with striker Klim Kostin. The 2021 Gagarin Cup winner as part of the Omsk Avangard is trying to stay in the NHL, but the Omsk leadership has already stated that it is ready to conclude an agreement with him if he does not find a team overseas.