Maple Leafs linked to former NHL star.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have been linked to the return of a once highly respected star in the National Hockey League.

For many weeks now there have been rumblings around the league about a possible return for former Washington Capitals forward Evgeny Kuznetsov, rumors that now appear to have been confirmed. In a recent report from RG Media, Kuznetsov's return has been linked to both the Toronto Maple Leafs as well as the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.

The Panthers definitely make sense as a potential destination following the extremely serious injury to Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov, while the Maple Leafs have reportedly been trying to trade several of their forwards during the offseason which would in theory open room on their end as well.

Kuznetsov was once a highly regarded NHL star with his best season coming the year he won the Stanley Cup, the 2017-18 NHL season. Kuznetsov put up an impressive 27 goals and 56 assists for the Capitals in that season, a total of 83 points in just 79 games, and elevated his game even further during the Stanley Cup playoffs. In the 24 games it took the Capitals to win the Cup that year, Kuznetsov had a staggering 12 goals and 20 assists for 32 playoff points.

Since that time however Kuznetsov's career has been on the decline, culminating in an eventual trade to the Carolina Hurricanes that would mark the end of his time in the NHL. In 20 games with the Hurricanes Kuznetsov had 2 goals and 5 assists for 7 points, and he would leave to return to his home country of Russia and the KHL the following season.

In his most recent season, in which he played for St. Petersburg SKA, Kuznetsov had 12 goals and 25 assists for 37 points in 39 KHL games.

It remains to be seen how much the 33 year old forward still has left in the tank when it comes to playing at the NHL level, but it seems like both the Maple Leafs and the defending Stanley Cup champions believe he may still have a lot to offer.

Stay tuned for more on this developing story.