Top Vancouver Canucks Free Agent Target Officially Signs New Contract for the 2025-26 Season

The Vancouver Canucks' hunt for center help this summer didn't go as planned, with General Manager Patrik Allvin unable to land some more depth down the middle after reportedly striking out on the first day of free agency with Christian Dvorak and Mikael Granlund, while also backing off their pursuit of Jack Roslovic due to contract demands.

Patrik Allvin searched far and wide for some center help for this team, but it looks like that'll continue into the 2025-26 season, perhaps closer to the NHL's trade deadline in March, depending on how the club performs.

One player that the club was linked to this offseason was former Stanley Cup champion Evgeny Kuznetsov, who was looking to make a return to the National Hockey League after one season in the KHL, but on Wednesday, the Vancouver Canucks learned their fate with the 33-year-old centerman.

Early in September, Kuznetsov's agent, Shumi Babayev, told the media in Russia that his client had narrowed his list down to two teams in the National Hockey League, both of whom were trying to figure out their salary cap situation before he decided where he wanted to go.

Flash forward a month later and Kuznetsov has found his new home for the 2025-26 campaign and surprisingly, given the reports that have come out in the last few months, it's not in the National Hockey League.

In a post on social media on Wednesday, KHL club Metallurg Magnitogorsk announced that they've agreed to terms on a one-year contract with Evgeny Kuznetsov for the 2025-26 season.

Kuznetsov, a native of Chelyabinsk, Russia, had a fairly strong year with SKA St. Petersburg, registering 37 points in 39 games during his first season back in the KHL since 2013-14.

However, with the organization going through some big changes following their first round playoff exit, including the departure of Ivan Demidov for Montreal, both sides mutually agreed to part ways and terminate the remaining three years of his contract.

Metallurg Magnitogorsk is back in action on Friday as they head to the Russian capital to take on former Vancouver Canucks forward Daniel Sprong & CSKA Moscow.