Bashirov Explains Why Salavat Yulaev Let Kuznetsov Go

Salavat Yulaev general manager Rinat Bashirov has explained why the club let Yevgeni Kuznetsov go after less than a season in Ufa.

Kuznetsov joined Salavat Yulaev in January and left at the end of the campaign, moving on to Sibir in August. Asked directly about the Forward, Bashirov did not dodge the subject.

Bashirov credited Kuznetsov with a real impact on the ice, saying the side might not have got past Avtomobilist without him. But he pointed to a deeper problem: the coaching staff could not count on him for the full campaign, and fixing that would have meant signing another top-level centre, which the budget did not allow.

He also said keeping Kuznetsov in rotation was not a workable solution for either side, adding that the club held off on a farewell message on social media because a return had not been ruled out.

Kuznetsov became one of the KHL's most closely watched players after returning from North America, drawing constant comment from experts, coaches and fans alike. Bashirov said that scrutiny included recurring doubts about whether he was consistently fit to play at his own level, a factor the club had to weigh in its decision.