Vancouver Canucks Predicted to Land Stanley Cup Winner Making Big NHL Comeback

The Vancouver Canucks are in the market for a second line centerman, everyone knows it by now, however it certainly won't be easy or cheap to land one in the weeks ahead.

Vancouver Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin has been linked to several different options on the trade market since they moved on from J.T. Miller in late January, but a player outside the NHL could be the team's solution to their second line center hole.

After parts of 11 seasons in the National Hockey League, primarily with the Washington Capitals, Russian centerman Evgeny Kuznetsov decided to leave North America to return to his home country, signing a four-year contract with KHL club SKA St. Petersburg, who's roster included Montreal Canadiens top prospect Ivan Demidov.

After one season with SKA St. Petersburg, where he registered 37 points (12 goals, 25 assists) in 39 games, along with three points in six contests during the Gagarin Cup Playoffs, the club and Kuznetsov agreed to a mutual contract termination, making the 33-year-old an unrestricted free agent.

Once the contract termination was finalized between Kuznetsov's camp and SKA St. Petersburg, many were wondering if he'd be looking to return to the National Hockey League next season and on Thursday, we got confirmation of his plans.

According to Kuznetsov's agent Shumi Babayev, his client will be returning to the National Hockey League for the 2025-26 season and they've already had discussions with some teams regarding a contract.

Kuznetsov, a native of Chelyabinsk, Russia, likely won't command too much in terms of salary, and term-wise it's hard to envision anything more than a two or three year deal.

If that's the case, the Vancouver Canucks should definitely consider submitting a contract offer to Evgeny Kuznetsov as, at least for the 2025-26 campaign, he could be a useful option for their second line center position.