NHL-NEWS: The Dallas Star franchise center, who agreed to sign a four-year, $36.4 million contract, as reported by CBS, has officially introduced as a new member of the Toronto Maple Leafs after…….

Kuznetsov Never Seriously Considered by Maple Leafs or Other Contenders

When a former Stanley Cup Champion in Kuznetsov surprisingly became a free agent, why did teams like Toronto not seriously consider him?

Any talk that Evgeny Kuznetsov was likely on the radar of the Toronto Maple Leafs was put to rest on Thursday as Sammi Silber of The Hockey News reported that Kuznetsov is set to arrive in Russia this week and will likely sign a deal in the KHL.

In an article published on July 24, Jesse Courville-Lynch of The Hockey Writers suggested that the Maple Leafs should sign Kuznetsov following his contract termination with the Carolina Hurricanes. He wrote:

“There was a belief he could opt to join the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) in Russia, but a recent report states that he could end up back in the NHL this upcoming season… Bringing in Kuznetsov allows the Maple Leafs to experiment with their lineup a bit too.”

evgeny Kuznetsov was never seriously on the Maple Leafs radar
Signing with Toronto — or any contender, for that matter — was a long shot at best. When you consider Kuznetsov was only going to join another NHL team for a certain amount of money and the Leafs didn’t have it to give, the link didn’t make sense. The same could be said for a number of top teams in the NHL who watch as Kuznetsov and the Hurricanes mutually agreed to walk away from each other.

What player walks away from a contract in Carolina for $6 million only to join the Maple Leafs for a fraction of that amount? It didn’t make sense, and Silber’s report confirms it was never on the Leafs or Kuznetsov’s radar.