Caps GM reveal shocking information about Kuznetsov's contract

The Washington Capitals general manager Brian MacLennan admitted that his team was afraid to lose Evgeny Kuznetsov to the KHL during the off-season. That's why his team paid the big price to keep him in Washington, as they offered the Russian centerman an eight-year, $62.4 million contract and traded Marcus Johansson to the New Jersey Devils to have enough money for Kuznetsov.

"We went a little above where we thought we were going to be,”  said MacLellan in an interview with the Boston Globe. 

“Initially because of the situation Kuznetsov was in - his ability to go play in Russia for two years, earn as much money or more than he was making here, then come back as a UFA. He had the leverage. We lost our arbitration leverage with his ability to do that. We had to comply with his demands." 

MacLellan also admitted that giving more money to Kuznetsov forced the Caps to trade Marcus Johansson to the New Jersey Devils, "[Johansson] was making the money we needed to shed to sign Kuznetsov. The decision at the end was, ‘Do we let Kuznetsov walk to Russia and be a UFA in two years? Or trade Marcus?’ The priority was to have the best center ice we could have and do our best to fill in with the left-wing spot.”

Kuznetsov, 25-year-old, scored 19 goals and 59 points in 82 games last season with the Capitals.