The 26-year-old, fifth-year pro finished with a playoff-leading 32 points, including his 20th assist in Thursday night's series-clinching 4–3 win over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 5.""
Members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association determined the winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy on a 5–3–1 basis, with the final tally determined by the NHL with ten minutes remaining in Game 5 of the finals.
All but two of the votes were cast for Washington Capitals players, with Kuznetsov and Ovechkin receiving inverse totals – Ovechkin took 13 first-place votes and five-second place, while Kuznetsov received five first-place votes and 13-second place.
Capitals goalie Braden Holtby was the third-place choice of 16 voters.
Golden Knights goalie Marc-André Fleury received the remaining two third-place votes.
1961
Kuznetsov had the primary assist on each of the two goals by team captain Alexander Ovechkin, his 610th and 611th NHL career goals, surpassing Bobby Hull on the all-time goals list.
Of playing with Ovechkin, Kuznetsov said:
"It's pleasure to play with him. You may not understand right now but when you get older, you understand what kind of guy he is. He's one of the best players in probably whole history. He's gonna be in the Hall of Fame and maybe one of those pictures in Hall of Fame I'm gonna be somewhere around him just after we score."
1992
Evgeny Evgenyevich Kuznetsov (Евгений Евгеньевич Кузнецов; born 19 May 1992) is a Russian professional ice hockey forward for the Carolina Hurricanes (NHL).
He previously played for the Washington Capitals and Traktor Chelyabinsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).
1998
Kuznetsov's series-clinching overtime winner in Game 6 against Pittsburgh secured the Capitals’ first berth in the Eastern Conference Finals since 1998, ending years of playoff failure against the Penguins.
His four assists in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals made him only the fourth NHL player to record that many in a finals game, the first in 22 years.
2009
Kuznetsov made his professional debut in the 2009–10 season with Traktor Chelyabinsk of the KHL.
That season, he played 35 games, totaling eight points.
2010
After his performance for Traktor, he was ranked as the third-best European skater by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, where he was eventually selected in the first round, 26th overall, by the Washington Capitals.
2011
He has represented Russia in junior and senior level competitions on numerous occasions, winning gold medals at the 2011 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, as well as at the 2012 IIHF World Championship and 2014 IIHF World Championship.
In the 2011–12 season, Kuznetsov was selected to the KHL All-Star Game.
During the season, he also won the Continental Cup and bronze medals with his team.
2013
It was reported that during the 2013–14 season, Kuznetsov earned $3.8 million to play for Traktor.
2014
On 8 March 2014, Kuznetsov signed an entry-level contract with the Washington Capitals.
On 25 March, he scored his first career NHL goal, which happened to be a short-handed goal, against the Los Angeles Kings with under a minute left to tie the game; the Capitals, however, eventually lost 5–4 in the shootout.
2015
On 23 April 2015, Kuznetsov scored the first and second Stanley Cup playoff goals of his career against the New York Islanders.
In the same game, he also had an assist in an eventual 5–1 Washington win.
On 27 April 2015, he scored the game-winning goal in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Quarter-finals against the Islanders in the same series, advancing the Capitals to a Conference Semi-finals match-up against the 2014–15 Presidents' Trophy-winning New York Rangers.
During the 2015–16 season, Kuznetsov was named to his first All-Star Game as a replacement for Alexander Ovechkin, who pulled out due to a lower-body injury.
2017
On 2 July 2017, the Capitals re-signed Kuznetsov (a restricted free agent) to an eight-year, $62.4 million contract worth $7.8 million per season.
2018
Kuznetsov won the Stanley Cup with the Capitals in 2018, leading the playoffs in point-scoring with 32 points, the most by any player in a single postseason since Evgeni Malkin in 2009.
Kuznetsov is known for his bird celebration he used throughout the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs, as well as the rest of his career, earning him the nickname "the Birdman."
In 24 playoff games in 2018, Kuznetsov had 12 goals and 20 assists for a total of 32 points, second only to Evgeni Malkin in 2009 among players in the last 25 seasons of Stanley Cup playoffs.
Kuznetsov led the league with 32 points in 24 appearances in the 2018 postseason, but lost to linemate and team captain Alex Ovechkin in the Conn Smythe Trophy competition.
""In helping deliver a championship Washington had wanted for more than 40 years, Kuznetsov was arguably the Capitals' most instrumental player.
Kuznetsov scored a power play goal and had three assists to power the Washington Capitals to a 5–2 win against the Vegas Golden Knights in a rematch of the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals at Capital One Arena on 10 October 2018.
Of his performance, teammate T.J. Oshie said: "I think [Kuznetsov is] up there with the top five players in the League. He just doesn't get the recognition for some reason. But you come watch a game, there's certain players that get people out of their seats and it's a joy to watch."
2019
On 14 September 2019, the NHL suspended Kuznetsov for three games for cocaine use after video surfaced on social media that showed Kuznetsov and another man sitting at a table that appeared to have lines of cocaine on it; the NHL termed the offense "inappropriate conduct."
On 5 February 2024, Kuznetsov entered the NHL Player Assistance Program.
On 2 March, the NHL announced that Kuznetsov had been cleared by the Program to return to practice.
Hours later, Kuznetsov was waived by the Capitals.
On 4 March, Kuznetsov cleared waivers and was loaned to the Hershey Bears, the Capitals' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate.
On 8 March 2024, Kuznetsov was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for a 2025 third-round draft pick.
Kuznetsov is considered one of the most accurate passers in the game.
