Renowned agent Shumi Babaev, who represents Russian forward Evgeny Kuznetsov, explained the decision to seek a new NHL club for the player.

— What prompted the decision to look for NHL teams for Kuznetsov?
— I assessed the situation, spoke with Zhenya, and made this choice. He agrees with me at this stage, — stated Babaev in an interview with Championship correspondent Vladimir Laevsky.

Last season, Kuznetsov played for SKA. Currently, he is without a contract. In the previous regular season of the KHL, Kuznetsov participated in only 39 games due to various injuries, accumulating 37 points (12 goals and 25 assists) during that time.