Evgeny Kuznetsov. James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

Capitals waive hero from Stanley Cup run

By Adam Gretz | Last updated 3/2/24

Evgeny Kuznetsov scored one of the biggest goals in Washington Capitals history and helped the franchise win its lone Stanley Cup back in 2018. Now his time with the team seems to be coming to a rather unceremonious ending.

The Capitals placed Kuznetsov on waivers on Saturday — the same day that he was cleared to return to the team after entering the NHLPA player's assistance program.

Washington has put Kuznetsov on waivers
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) March 2, 2024

Kuznetsov is unlikely to be claimed given his salary (he counts $7.8 million against the cap through the end of the 2024-25 season) and rapidly declining production. If he goes unclaimed, he will likely be sent to the team's American Hockey League affiliate, the Hershey Bears.

While this is a disappointing way for Kuznetsov's career to begin its conclusion, there is no denying his importance to the Capials.

At his peak, he was a dynamic offensive force, and along with Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, T.J. Oshie and John Carlson, he made the Capitals one of the league's best teams between 2015 and 2018.

The Capitals logged the league's best regular-season records in 2015-16 and 2016-17, and then finally broke through and won their first Stanley Cup in 2017-18 by defeating the Golden Knights.

Kuznetsov scored one of the biggest goals in that championship run when he scored the overtime, series-clinching goal in Game 6 of their second-round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Up until that point, the Penguins had been a thorn in the side of the Capitals, having eliminated them each of the previous two years en route to their own back-to-back Stanley Cup championships.

Kuznetsov put them over the hump and then helped finish the job a couple of weeks later.

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