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Evgeny Kuznetsov signs 2-year, $6-million deal; bridge contracts live on

Evgeny Kuznetsov signs 2-year, $6-million deal; bridge contracts live on

The Summer of 2015 will be remembered as the Summer of the Offer Sheet Threat, which in turn made it the Summer of the RFA Long-Term Deal, as evidenced by the trade-and-sign journeys of Dougie Hamilton and Brandon Saad.

Does that mean that the bridge contract – short-term, lower cap hit than if the contract gobbled up unrestricted years – is on the wane? As James Mirtle of the Globe & Mail wrote on Monday:

“The landscape is shifting rapidly in the favour of players such as Vladimir Tarasenko (St. Louis), Derek Stepan (the Rangers) and Braden Holtby (Washington), who can all make a case they deserve to be paid like stars.”

True, but there are some stragglers. We saw Nazem Kadri sign a $4.1 million deal for one year from the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday, and on Monday the Washington Capitals signed Evgeny Kuznetsov to a 2-year, $6-million deal.

From the Caps:

Kuznetsov, 23, earned 37 points (11 goals, 26 assists) in 80 games with Washington last season, marking the most points a Capitals rookie has registered in a season since John Carlson (37) in 2010-11. The 6’2”, 204-pound center also became the 13th rookie in franchise history to earn 25 assists in a season. Kuznetsov registered five multi-point games last season and scored on four consecutive shootout attempts in 2014-15, matching the longest streak in the NHL. He led all Capitals rookies in goals (11), assists (26), points (37) and games played (80) and ranked eighth among NHL rookies in assists (26) and ninth in points (37). Kuznetsov was selected by Washington in the first round, 26th overall, in the 2010 NHL Draft.

It was expected that the Capitals would go with a 2-to-3-year deal with Kuznetsov, which works out well for both sides. It gives the Capitals cap flexibility that it needs, and it gives Kuznetsov a chance to really break the bank when he blossoms into the offensive star his rookie season promised.

Because how many guys can do this in a playoff game?