Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin had a curt response when asked about the potential return of Evgeny Kuznetsov to the Capitals.Kuznetsov, who played 11 seasons with the Capitals, left the NHL in 2024 when he was placed on unconditional waivers by the Carolina Hurricanes. He signed a 4-year deal with SKA Saint Petersburg in the KHL but terminated that contract in April 2025, making him an unrestricted free agent.Now that Kuznetsov is a free agent again, his agent says there’s interest from multiple NHL teams. With his long-standing connection to Kuznetsov in Washington, Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin was asked by Russian reporter Victoria Alekseeva on Saturday whether a reunion could be in the cards."Can Evgeny return to Washington? This is not a question for me, but for his agent," Ovechkin said, as translated. "He has his own head on his shoulders. God willing, he signs a contract with a club and shows his level either in the NHL or the KHL."Ovechkin made it clear he was not involved in management decisions, calling it a "business" and citing trades as part of the NHL landscape."I'm not a manager," Ovechkin said. "This is the NHL. Everyone understands that there might be some trades. But we'll see. Washington's scouts and general manager are some of the best. They evaluate whether a player is right for us."Kuznetsov's agent expects his client to have a contract resolution by early August, but returning to Washington is not a priority. He also said Kuznetsov is not interested in a professional tryout agreement.NHL insider David Pagnotta's take on Evgeny Kuznetsov’s NHL returnDavid Pagnotta discussed Evgeny Kuznetsov's potential return to the NHL during an episode of Hello Hockey earlier this week.Pagnotta reports that Kuznetsov is open to taking a low-cost deal with performance bonuses as a way to work his way back into the NHL.David Pagnotta said,"He's willing to take a million, two million bucks plus incentives, somewhere, for...a contender that's looking to add," Pagnotta said on Hello Hockey.Coming off a KHL season where he tallied 12 goals and 37 points in 39 games, Evgeny Kuznetsov is hoping to land a “prove-it” contract that gives him another shot in the NHL.