ARLINGTON — Evgeny Kuznetsov remains to be his typical jovial, smiling self off the ice. He can also be very a lot nonetheless with the Washington Capitals.
After a second down season in three years and one other summer season of commerce rumors, Kuznetsov returning by no means appeared like a positive factor. Now that he’s again at coaching camp and nothing has modified together with his standing, the proficient if inconsistent Russian heart insists he’s comfortable to remain in Washington. He thinks a brand new coach will assist him bounce again.
“I’m actually in a good spot mentally,” Kuznetsov stated Thursday after the primary on-ice session of camp. “There is a fresh start for whole team, and I’m focusing every day on my personal goals. I want to help the team. I want to make people happy. I want this team to succeed.”
For the Capitals to succeed, Kuznetsov virtually definitely should produce greater than the 55 factors he did final season, at the same time as he, basic supervisor Brian MacLellan and captain Alex Ovechkin pointed to an damage that hampered him within the spring. At a wage cap hit of $7.8 million that’s fourth-highest on the roster, Kuznetsov is a vital participant; he was the main scorer on the 2018 Stanley Cup run and Washington missed the playoffs final season when he wasn’t on prime of his recreation.
“We need him,” MacLellan stated. “We need him to be competitive. And for our team to be competitive, we need him to be playing at his top level, so, we’ll see where he’s at.”
Kuznetsov declined to say whether or not he instantly requested for a commerce through the offseason, one thing MacLellan wouldn’t get into, both. Kuznetsov stated the state of affairs was “complicated.”
Perhaps both sides would have benefitted from a change of surroundings, although the Capitals weren’t going to present Kuznetsov away for nothing or take a worse contract again in return. After a largely quiet interval on the commerce entrance across the NHL, nothing materialized and everybody concerned appears content material to maneuver on.
Ovechkin known as Kuznetsov a giant a part of the workforce and stated, “I’m sure he’s going to prove himself from last year.”
One purpose to count on that’s first-time head coach Spencer Carbery, who MacLellan stated has spoken a couple of instances to Kuznetsov about his state of affairs. Kuznetsov stated the conversations with Carbery had been “honest” and figures this shall be one thing of a brand new starting after the departure of Peter Laviolette.
“The way he sees hockey, it’s perfect match for me and a perfect match for guys inside the team,” Kuznetsov stated of Carbery. “I’m looking for that, for sure: that coach that’s gonna ask to create more, to ask to score some goals, to ask to hold on to that puck, to ask to skate with that puck.”
Kuznetsov has the potential to be a difference-maker. As not too long ago because the 2021-22 season – the final time his title was bandied about in commerce discuss – he was practically a point-a-game participant with 24 objectives and 54 assists.
Now 31 and with two years left on the $62.4 million contract he signed in 2017, Kuznetsov will attempt to get again to that stage or past.
“I want the people to be happy with the way I play, the way I can play,” he stated. “I know I’m one of those pieces that has to be on point every night.”
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