Evgeny Kuznetsov is officially back in the KHL.

The 32-year-old center was announced as an SKA Saint Petersburg player on Wednesday, heading back to his home country with a four-year contract after spending 11 seasons in the NHL. Kuznetsov sat down with Match TV’s Pavel Lysenkov to explain why he decided now was time to go back to the league where he started his professional career during the 2009-10 season.

“The decision was well-thought-out, and we made it as a family,” Kuznetsov said as translated via Google Translate. “Perhaps my time has come. Everyone has their own time, and it’s time to leave, or in this case to leave the NHL. We are all very happy to be in St. Petersburg.

“I had a very long year,” he continued. “I understood and realized a lot for myself. I really want to play Russian hockey, to immerse myself in the realities of the KHL. I will do it with pleasure.”

Kuznetsov had two offers from KHL clubs, one from SKA and the other from his hometown Traktor Chelyabinsk. He ultimately decided on SKA after determining that a return to Traktor this soon would have been too much for him to handle at this stage of his career due to his popularity in Chelyabinsk.

SKA also finished as the KHL’s top regular season team last year while Traktor was one of just six teams to miss the postseason.

“I personally came to the conclusion that for my future career this is the best option,” Kuznetsov said. “There are very big opportunities in SKA, a very strong organization.

“Right now, everything has turned out in such a way that I am not yet ready to go to Chelyabinsk. Not to Traktor, but to the city itself — it would be very difficult for me there. And I need time to readjust a little. You know, if I suddenly left Washington through Raleigh straight to Chelyabinsk, I would not be able to have a quiet life. I probably would not be able to go outside at all.”

Kuznetsov had the worst season of his career in the NHL last year, posting just 24 points (8g, 16a) in 63 games with the Capitals and Hurricanes combined. He also spent a large chunk of the 2023-24 campaign in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance program which he admitted took him out of game shape for a few weeks.

The trying year ultimately led to Kuznetsov terminating the final year of his NHL deal and leaving $8 million of salary on the table so he could move to SKA for the upcoming season. Despite the roller coaster that was his final year in North America, Kuznetsov appreciated the lessons the ride taught him.

“I think this was my best NHL season in terms of emotions and what I learned, what new things I discovered about people, about my game in general, and my life,” Kuznetsov said. “Maybe people from the outside will think that this is the worst season. But in fact, for me, it was one of the best. I will repeat that I learned a lot.”

With his future now solidly with the KHL for the first time since he was just a teenager, Kuznetsov says he has no plans of ever returning to the NHL. He departs the league after tallying 575 points (173g, 402a) in 743 games for Washington and Carolina. The talented centerman was the Capitals’ leading postseason scorer in their successful run to the 2018 Stanley Cup.

“Definitely not [returning to the NHL],” Kuznetsov said. “I have a great career ahead of me at SKA. And then Traktor awaits me. But my goal is to go to work at Match TV to write news about myself. You’ll be fired then, you’ll be left without work.”

Kuznetsov’s four-year deal with SKA includes a base salary slightly under $1 million but with achievable performance bonuses that could make each year highly lucrative. The KHL season starts in just over a month on September 3 and Kuznetsov’s first game with SKA will come against Metallurg Magnitogorsk on September 5.