Alex Ovechkin commented on Evgeny Kuznetsov’s mutual contract termination with the Carolina Hurricanes and likely return to Russia’s KHL on Saturday. Ovechkin had just played in the “Match of the Year,” pitting some of the NHL’s top Russian stars against stars from the KHL.

Kuznetsov is set to depart the NHL after spending just a few months on the Hurricanes, the only other NHL team he’s played for. Ovechkin’s Washington Capitals dealt their longtime top centerman to Carolina at the 2024 trade deadline.

“We’ll see, I just can’t say what his plans are,” Ovechkin told Match TV’s Pavel Lysenkov as translated via Google Translate. “Every person has their own head on their shoulders. They’ll figure out what’s best for the family and make that decision.”

The 32-year-old forward left DC at the 2024 deadline after spending parts of 11 seasons with the Capitals. He tallied 568 points (171g, 397a) in 723 games for Washington and was the team’s leading postseason scorer in their successful run to the Stanley Cup in 2018.

Kuznetsov was not present at the All-Star-laden matchup in Moscow at CSKA Arena on Saturday.

“He’s in a difficult situation now, you know,” Ovechkin said. “We need to figure out where he’ll be playing. If he were here, he wouldn’t spoil the picture, on the contrary, he’d add to the show.”

The two Russian stars have always been very close. The Capitals’ captain let Kuznetsov live at his house when the young forward arrived in Washington in 2014.

Ovechkin was also there for the biggest struggles in Kuznetsov’s life including a suspension for inappropriate behavior in 2019 and a stay in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance program, where Ovechkin revealed he was in contact with Kuznetsov.

“I’m happy, we had an amazing relationship,” Kuznetsov said in March. “There’s been a lot of good, bad days forever. But no matter what, he was always next to me. He was always one phone call away from me. He was a big part of my success in my career. I don’t want to say a lot of good stuff about him publicly because you know, he’s going to read this interview and I want to keep it between us. But I love the guys in the locker room.”

Kuznetsov first flirted with a return to the KHL when negotiating an extension with the Capitals in 2017. SKA Saint Petersburg acquired Kuznetsov’s KHL rights from Traktor Chelyabinsk for approximately one million dollars the day after Kuznetsov eventually re-signed with Washington.

According to Lysenkov, Roman Rotenberg, the general manager of the Russian national team and member of the KHL’s board of directors, stated that Kuznetsov will definitely return to Russia.

“If Roman Borisovich said so, then so it will be,” Ovechkin said.

Kuznetsov’s agent, Shumi Babaev, also stated on his Telegram account that Kuznetsov will return to the KHL.

“We have been working with Evgeny Kuznetsov for several years now,” Babaev wrote. “Now it is time to watch his magic live. In the near future, the Chelyabinsk wizard will sign a contract in the KHL, and we will delight you with highlights featuring him on a regular basis.”

According to a report from Championat’s Arina Nuriakhmetova, Kuznetsov is set to sign a four-year contract with SKA.