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Capitals sign Kuznetsov to eight-year, $62.4 million deal

New York Islanders v Washington Capitals - Game Seven

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Evgeny Kuznetsov #92 of the Washington Capitals celebrates his game winning goal at 12:42 of the third period against the New York Islanders in Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2015 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Verizon Center on April 27, 2015 in Washington, DC. The Capitals defeated the Islanders 2-1 to win the series 4 games to 3. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

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The Washington Capitals have announced a long-term contract for Evgeny Kuznetsov.

The Capitals have signed Kuznetsov, a restricted free agent, to an eight-year, $62.4 million extension.

As expected, that represents a substantial raise from the two-year deal, with an NHL salary of $3.4 million this past season, that recently expired.

“Evgeny is a premier center in the NHL and we are pleased that he will remain in Washington for at least the next eight years,” said general manager Brian MacLellan in a statement.

“It is difficult to find a player of his caliber, who is in his prime and makes his teammates better. Evgeny plays with a tremendous skill, speed and tenacity needed to win in the NHL.”

Now 25 years old, Kuznetsov’s total production dropped in 2016-17, as he scored 19 goals and 59 points in 82 games. But he has also shown to have a very high ceiling, scoring 20 goals and 77 points the previous campaign -- just his second full season in the league.

He did have a strong, productive playoff with 10 points in 13 games, before the Capitals were ousted in the second round by Pittsburgh. Despite losing to the rival Penguins, Kuznetsov had a good series with seven points.

Per CapFriendly, the Capitals now have about $4.65 million in cap space -- with about $70.3 million already committed to only 15 players for next season. Andre Burakovsky, a restricted free agent, is still in need of a new deal. The task now falls to MacLellan to try to figure out a way to gain more cap flexibility.

MacLellan, in May, called Alex Ovechkin “a big part of our franchise” but also didn’t completely rule out the possibility of a trade involving the prolific scorer and Capitals star -- provided it was a “legitimate hockey deal.” He has four years remaining on his current deal, with a $9.538 million cap hit.

Today’s signing is the latest for the Capitals, who have already committed large sums of money to Dmitry Orlov (click here) and T.J. Oshie (click here).