Can Evgeny Kuznetsov be a low-cost option to fix the Flyers’ center problems?

The former very good NHL centerman is a free agent after spending a year in the KHL. Should the Flyers pounce on this opportunity?

On Tuesday, SKA St. Petersburg announced that have mutually parted ways with center Evgeny Kuznetsov just one year into a four-year deal that he signed last summer. It was a little bit of a shock since everyone sort of thought that the rest of Kuznetsov’s career was sorted out. He would be playing for SKA until he turns 35 and then we would just see from there if he even plays anymore.

But now, just several months of having the 31-year-old on their team, SKA reportedly did not want to employ him anymore and that led to a “mutual” termination in possibly the lightest of terms. And all of this comes after the Washington Capitals traded him to the Carolina Hurricanes for nothing but a third-round pick at the trade deadline last year and then there was a mutual termination (wow, so familiar) with the Hurricanes so that he wasn’t on their books for this season and could instead spend the rest of his days putting up crazy numbers in the KHL.

So now where does he go from here? There’s clearly something still cooking here. Just two years ago in the 2022-23 season, he had 12 goals and 55 points in 81 games, and then he followed it up with scoring eight goals and 24 points in 63 games split between the Capitals and the Hurricanes. Obviously not the best rate of production but it was just a weird year. And then this season, he had 37 points in 39 games in the KHL, leading his entire SKA team in points per game.

The recent news mixed in with a fairly solid performance, and still going to be a healthy 32 years old next season, has us asking one major question: Should the Philadelphia Flyers get involved in this?

Obviously, beyond getting a goaltender who can tend the goal this summer, it feels like the most pressing matter is figuring out what to do at the center position. Right now, it would feel disheartening if they went into the 2025-26 season running out the same combination of Sean Couturier, Noah Cates, Ryan Poehling — and even if it is Jett Luchanko instead of Karsen Dorwart, it would still feel a little bit disappointing. The Flyers would clearly just be banking on the hopes of Luchanko raising the floor enough to not have it be a glaring hole for this roster.

With that being said, it feels like Philadelphia is going to try to do something this summer to address it. They will aim high and possibly inquire about some of the top-six centers available that could fit their timeline, or maybe ponder sending an offer sheet or two for young, solid contributors down the middle. Either of those options would instantly solidify this forward group for a few years and know what we’re dealing with. That’s the best option for this team to fix their issue at center.

But, if they were unable to find the right fit, or just want a stopgap until someone else develops — like whoever they select at the top of this year’s draft — they might dip their toe in the free agency pool and out of all the options that would possibly sign just a one-year contract but still has the potential to play at the top of the lineup, Evgeny Kuznetsov could be the best one.

Signing Kuznetsov to a contract that would essentially be his last chance to play in the NHL, which would most likely be a one-year deal maybe not expensive whatsoever, could be beneficial if some things get ironed out. There are clearly some things going on with the player to be released from his KHL deal three seasons early and just be cast away from the NHL so easily at 31 years old. All of that stuff is pointing to a not-ideal situation.

But let’s just envision a world where that does happen. The Flyers culture punctures his soul and he actually tries hard to be a good hockey player. And we will all blame it on him wanting to play with Matvei Michkov and even ride the young Russian’s coattails to rejuvenating his own career.

Suddenly, this short-term fix as the Flyers try to pivot from bottom-feeder to a respectable team that is in a massive transition year, could genuinely work in their favor. They get to help someone along back on a respectable path and they get a 50-point center who will be stapled in the top six.

We have talked all season about the winger depth the Flyers have, but just need someone offensively inclined to move them to the next level and if all the other options have been exhausted, they might be able to turn to Kuznetsov praying that everything can work out. It would be a massive risk, and maybe not one the Flyers want to take right now or a type of player they want to bring in to their young locker room, but it is still certainly an option with possibilities.

Do we think they would actually entertain this? No, but it’s a fun exercise.