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Around the NHL: Torey Krug to miss 6-8 weeks, Evgeny Kuznetsov clears waivers, and more!
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Photo credit: © James Guillory - USA Today
Ryley Delaney
Jul 19, 2024, 10:00 EDTUpdated: Jul 18, 2024, 20:29 EDT
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Halfway through July, and we are just over 80 days away from the National Hockey League’s season opener.
Every year after the free agent frenzy, the league hits its quiet period of the year. Despite that, there’s still plenty of news around the league, as the Carolina Hurricanes made some moves recently, a former Anaheim Ducks player is heading to the Kontinental Hockey League, and a St. Louis Blues defenceman will be out for a period of time.
Let’s dig into all of that in the latest Around the NHL!

Kuznetsov mutually terminates contract

A few days ago, Russian website championat.com reported that Evgeny Kuznetsov was going to sign with Kontinental Hockey League team SKA St. Petersburg, which was promptly denied by his agent.
Two days later, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravali reported that Kuznetsov was placed on waivers and Elliotte Freidman reported that he cleared on Thursday.
Kuznetsov was selected by the Washington Capitals late in the first round of the 2010 draft, and headed to North America in 2013-14. Throughout his tenure with the team, he scored 171 goals and 568 points in 723 games over 11 seasons, and even won a cup with the team in 2018. That postseason run saw him score 12 goals and 32 points in 24 games.
This past season, he was waived by the Capitals and later traded to the Hurricanes, where he scored two goals and seven points in 20 games to end the season. Kuznetsov was better in the postseason though, as he scored four goals and six points in 10 postseason games with the Hurricanes.
Assuming he does sign a four-year deal with SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL, he’ll be 36 when that contract runs out, and the likelihood that he returns to the National Hockey League is slim.

Jack Drury re-signs with Carolina

Speaking of the Hurricanes, they made a second move on Wednesday, as they signed left-shot centre Jack Drury to a two-year-deal with a cap hit of $1.725 million.
Selected in the second-round of the 2018 draft, Drury became a regular in the National Hockey League for the first time last season, scoring eight goals and 27 points. He also played in 11 postseason games for the Hurricanes, scoring a goal and five points.
The Hurricanes still have two more restricted free agents that need to be signed, Martin Nečas and Seth Jarvis. The latter scored a career-high 33 goals and 67 points in 81 games last season, as well as five goals and nine points in 11 postseason games. 
Nečas is also a right-shot centre, who scored 24 goals and 53 points last season, down from his career-high of 28 goals and 71 points set the season prior.
It’s not impossible to believe one or both of these players received an offer sheet, as right-shot centres who can score are hard to come by.

Maxime Comtois heads to the KHL

Maxime Comtois was once a promising player, but he signed a one-year deal with Dynamo Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League.
Selected in the second round of the 2017 draft, Comtois made the Anaheim Ducks’ opening day roster in 2018-19 where he scored two goals and seven points in 10 games before heading back down to the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. He played between the American Hockey League and the National Hockey League the following season, before becoming a mainstay in 2020-21.
His first full year saw him score 16 goals and 33 points in 55 games, looking like a key player for the Ducks whenever they ended their rebound. However, he scored just 15 goals and 35 points over in 116 games over his next two seasons, and was released when free agency opened on July 2023.
He had a professional tryout with the Vegas Golden Knights, before signing a deal with the Chicago Wolves, the only independent American Hockey League team at the time. Comtois eventually signed a one-year deal with the Carolina Hurricanes in March 2024, playing one regular season game with an assist, as well as a postseason game.

Torey Krug diagnosed with pre-arthritic issue in left ankle

On Tuesday, the St. Louis Blues announced that their defenceman, Torey Krug, had been diagnosed with pre-arthritic issues in his left ankle. The team also noted he’ll rehab it and be re-evaluated in six to eight weeks, and if he needs surgery, Krug will miss the entirety of the 2024-25 season.
Krug spent the first portion of his season with the Boston Bruins, scoring 67 goals and 337 points in nine seasons, including a Stanley Cup Finals loss to the Blues. He joined the Missouri based team in Oct. 2020, where he has 22 goals and 146 points in 255 games played.
Thanks for reading! You can follow me on Twitter @Ryley_L_D.

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