The Washington Capitals are continuing to host informal skates at MedStar Capitals Iceplex as players prepare for the upcoming Rookie Camp and main Training Camp.

Thursday, The Athletic’s Tarik El-Bashir published another practice update on Twitter. Caps center Evgeny Kuznetsov was a notable participant as the talented, offensive forward seemed focused on anything but offense.

El-Bashir reported that John Carlson, Kuznetsov, Dmitry Orlov, Anthony Mantha, Carl Hagelin, Nick Jensen, Marcus Johansson, Hendrix Lapierre, Joe Snively, Alex Alexeyev, Vincent Iorio, Sam Anas, free agent Brett Connolly, Maryland-born Patrick Giles, and Peter Laviolette III were all in attendance.

Kuznetsov, in particular, was a highlight for El-Bashir as the 30-year-old Russian was apparently doing everything other than his normal job of playmaking centerman. Kuzy lined up on defense and was seen giving tips on how to make a kick save to one of the stand-in netminders.

This isn’t the first time he has shown a proclivity for goaltending. In 2018, he got fully decked out in goalie gear and took shots from his teammates after practice.

"To beat goalie.. one must BE goalie" 🥅

–@Kuzya92, probably pic.twitter.com/HF4IzYkGbw

— NBC Sports Capitals (@NBCSCapitals) January 4, 2018

“When I was young I used to play a lot,” Kuznetsov said then. “It’s kind of cool.”

Defenseman Alex Alexeyev and forward Carl Hagelin were also at the skate but wore light blue jerseys, indicating they were limited in how much they could participate. El-Bashir reports that Alexyev seems to be doing more and more as time progresses.

The young, Russian defenseman had surgery on his shoulder in mid-June. His earliest return date, based on the timeframe the Capitals gave at the time of the procedure, is late October shortly after the 2022-23 season begins.

Hagelin’s status is still completely up in the air as he continues to work back from eye surgery. It’s likely we won’t know his full status with the team until Training Camp and the preseason begin in late September.

Headline photo: Cara Bahniuk/RMNB