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Canadiens linked to NHL legend attempting comeback after a season away

The Montreal Canadiens are seeking another forward.

One guy they might wind up with spent the 2023-24 season in Russia.

RG's Marco D'Amico writes that the Canadiens could go after Evgeny Kuznetsov, a long-time star for the Washington Capitals.

Kuznetsov, 33 years old, spent the 2024-25 hockey season in the KHL for SKA St. Petersburg, tallying 37 points.

He had signed a four-year contract, but that was terminated in April, which seems to have set him up for an NHL return.

Kuznetsov played 723 games for the Capitals, scoring 568 points. He had 73 points in 97 playoff games and won a Stanley Cup.

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The Canadiens could certainly use a guy with 402 assists and 173 goals in the NHL.

The center Kuznetsov could fill a variety of roles, depending on how Montreal wants to build the rest of its lines. But he'd have the chance at returning to at least some level of NHL stardom.

Kuznetsov spent almost the entirety of his initial NHL tenure with the Capitals, who made him a first-round pick in 2010. In 2023-24, he also played 20 games for the Carolina Hurricanes.

If a comeback is indeed in the cards here, Kuznetsov will have many more suitors than Montreal. But you'd imagine he wants to join a playoff team, and the Canadiens fall under that umbrella. Maybe they'd be the right fit to pursue his comeback fully.