Evgeny Kuznetsov held his first press conference with Capitals media on Thursday, the first day of Capitals Training Camp. There, he seemed to blame himself for last season’s struggles and called Spencer Carbery “a perfect match” for a rebound year in 2023-24.
“I’m not the guy that’s going to get big paycheck and be happy everyday,” Kuznetsov said. “So every time I come back home after a bad practice or bad game, I’m beating myself (up) and I’m not happy about (it). Every time I walking in locker room every morning knowing they tell me you’re not performing the way the guys expected me to perform, I’m feeling bad about (it).”
Kuzy spoke about his feelings and his own personal problems from last season, but he was careful to not comment on the cause of the conflict and friction.
He saved that for a tell-all interview with the Russian outlet Slippery Ice. There, Kuznetsov criticized general manager Brian MacLellan and former Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette. He even spoke to a private meeting he had with MacLellan where he told Mac his true feelings.
“There were many moments there (in the meeting),” Kuznetsov said during the interview and as translated by Google Translate. “I say, ‘You brought a coach who almost didn’t fit our style, we had to rebuild.’ Such moments as it were. ‘You paid me this money for something, right?’ I say, ‘For what I did well.’ And now [he] arrived, they tell me: ‘Listen, you don’t need to do this – throw the puck into the zone, run, and [screen] the goalie.’
“This is where everything went wrong in general, because we should each have our own role, everyone should fulfill their role, and everyone will be in demand from this role,” he said. “And when you carry a piano, and then they say to you: ‘No, no, let’s play the piano today.’ And the person has never played the piano, and they say to him: ‘Come on, play!'”
Kuznetsov’s criticism points to Peter Laviolette’s system, which some behind-the-scenes groused about due to the physicality it demanded and how uncreative it was. One source close to the Capitals told RMNB that there was a meeting early in the season where players asked to alter some parts of the system so that they weren’t beat up along the boards as much. Apparently, there was a slight system change in December to open things up offensively and the team responded well, posting an 11-2-2 record.
“It’s my personal opinion,” Kuznetsov said. “It’s clear that maybe I’m wrong, maybe it’s wrong…I don’t know… We had such central players: Backy, me, Strome, and Dowd. Lars Eller also. I think that with such central players it was possible, in principle, to come up with something: somehow more in the middle, try to hold the puck. But with us, everything is simple: to the red zone – and off we go (to forecheck).”
The host, former Caps forward Andrei Nikolishin who has served as a Russian amateur scout for the team (per Elite Prospects), commented that it was old school hockey, but Kuznetsov disagreed with that assessment.
“I don’t know…If this is even a school,” he said.
Kuznetsov reportedly asked for a trade for two consecutive seasons, but the Capitals were unable to fulfill his request. [Editor’s note: He spoke more on that in the interview .]
When asked if the team’s 2022-23 season was ruined due to injury, Kuznetsov again pointed to how Laviolette made the team play.
“Before that, we also had a lot of injuries,” Kuznetsov said. “And when everyone was just injured, we went on trips and beat Florida. And such games were crazy – they pulled them out, although we had seven people from the farm club. Somehow the team [came together]. Everyone [knows what to do]: some simply defend themselves and don’t let anything pass. We went out and played hockey.
“Then everyone recovered. Backy returned, Willie returned, somehow all at the same time. And the coach says: ‘That’s it, now we’re playing playoff hockey.'”
The Capitals went 14-24-5 from January on and finished with its worst full season since 2006-07. Laviolette and the Capitals mutually parted ways a day after the season ended.
Laviolette’s tenure with the Capitals saw multiple players seem to bump heads with the Stanley Cup-winning coach including Jakub Vrana, Jonas Siegenthaler, Ilya Samsonov, Daniel Sprong, and Anthony Mantha.
Connor McMichael, who had tremendous success under old-school coach Dale Hunter when playing junior hockey for the OHL’s London Knights, dressed in only six games for the Capitals last season after making the team’s opening night roster. McMichael was sent down to Hershey in November after barely playing and eventually helped push the team to its twelfth Calder Cup, leading the team in playoff goals. McMichael’s treatment though concerned some Bears’ veterans in Hershey.
“I think that as a player it was unfortunate the way Washington – how he was not playing,” Mike Sgarbossa said last season. “I don’t think that was great and I think when he came down here he started to play and started to get his confidence back and really be himself. I think he as a person is another good person on our team of great people.”
“I got to watch him a little bit in the NHL and from what I saw he was playing really well,” Vecchione added. “You know obviously things didn’t quite work out up top and they sent him down, and as soon as he came down, he was making an impact. Maybe they told him that he needed to work on his defensive game, maybe more of a PK role, I don’t know I haven’t had that conversation with them.”
With Laviolette gone, Kuznetsov does have a renewed enthusiasm and optimism under Spencer Carbery.
“He called (twice) on the phone,” Kuznetsov said. “He himself played in the East Coast (ECHL). Then [Carbery] coached there, then farm [Hershey] – and won the AHL (regular season championship) with them. He went through our entire system. Here he is just the person who probably has the same thinking as all the central [leaders].”
Kuznetsov believes Carbery will add much-needed creativity that the team did not have under Laviolette.
“You go 2-on-1 – well, how can it be,” Kuznetsov said. “Well, you have to at least look at the pass, right? And they tell you: ‘Throw it at the blade and your partner will finish it off.’ I can go to the [championship] region here, shoot, and live without any stress.”
It’s unclear how Kuznetsov’s revealing comments in this interview will have any impact on his role on the team moving forward. During MacLellan’s season-opening press conference, he believed Carbery would be the elixir that cured Kuzy’s woes.
“I know Spencer has talked to [Kuznetsov] a few times,” MacLellan said. “I’m hoping he, along with the rest of our guys, is energized by a little different philosophy and a new young coach that’s enthusiastic. [Spencer] is building a relationship now with Kuzy so I think it should be positive for him.
“The style that Spencer wants to play and his philosophy of playing the game suits Kuzy. I think [Kuzy] should be in alignment with that and respond well to it.”
Headline photo: Alan Dobbins/RMNB
