Toronto Maple Leafs Miss Out on Signing Stanley Cup Champion

While a report from less than a week ago had the Maple Leafs as a finalist to sign Russian forward Evgeny Kuznetsov, we now know it won't be happening.

It's not that Kuznetsov has decided to sign elsewhere in the NHL. He's decided instead to return to his home country and play once again in the KHL.

Kuznetsov, who last played in the NHL with the Carolina Hurricanes, has signed a one-year deal with the KHL's Metallurg Magnitogorsk.

The deal is worth just over $120k USD, but Kuznetsov has the ability to make up to $1.2 million if he finishes the 2025-26 KHL season in the top three for scoring.

Both Toronto and Florida were rumoured to be the final two teams in the NHL that Kuznetsov would consider signing with. The contract likely would have been at the NHL minimum or slightly above.

While signing Kuznetsov definitely carried some risk, inserting him into the Maple Leafs lineup on a low-cost contract could have helped the team on offense, especially in the absence of Mitch Marner. He has had his issues, but Kuznetsov is still capable of putting up points in bunches, and could have served as a big help on the Leafs powerplay or even 5-on-5 scoring.

That said, Leafs coach Craig Berube has all but confirmed his lineup for opening night, and it looks solid throughout.