New SKA St. Petersburg head coach Igor Larionov didn't hold back when it came to discussing former Washington Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov.
Larionov spoke honestly about Kuznetsov and why things didn't work out between him and SKA St. Petersburg, and noted that he started to see the Russian's play start to take a step back over the last few years.
"It didn't start this year, even earlier," Larionov told MatchTV, per a DeepL translation. "I don't know what happened and why he didn't succeed, but the decline began much earlier. I saw it about six years ago."
In 39 games with SKA this season, Kuznetsov had 12 goals and 25 assists for 37 points while also dealing with injury and inconsistency in his game. SKA also struggled,, finishing seventh in the KHL's Western Conference despite having Kuznetsov and other big names like Ivan Demidov and Alexander Nikishin.
Ultimately, he and SKA agreed to mutually terminate the four-year deal he signed last summer, making him a free agent.
"It's a shame, he's a talented guy," Larionov said. "Could have given a lot."
Kuznetsov is exploring all options going into next year, including other opportunities overseas and even a potential return to the NHL. He last played in the NHL in 2023-24, putting up 17 points in 43 games with the Capitals. He was waived and sent to the AHL's Hershey Bears before subsequently being traded to the Carolina Hurricanes, where he had seven points in 20 games.
He'd terminated his NHL deal last summer to return home to Russia.