ARLINGTON, VA — When the Washington Capitals sent Evgeny Kuznetsov to the Carolina Hurricanes at the trade deadline, captain Alex Ovechkin lost not only a teammate but a close friend. Both players had spent their entire NHL careers in Washington, growing only closer over the decade they played side-by-side.
Ovechkin spoke on the trade Saturday morning, admitting it was hard so see Kuznetsov go.
“It’s tough,” he said. “Tough to see that happen. He was a big part of the team, great friend of mine. It’s tough.
“Obviously it’s not our job to make deals, to make trades. It’s up to Mac (general manager Brian MacLellan) and front office to do that kind of stuff. But how I said last night, it was kind of a sad day for us. Especially for me.”
Friday’s trade came after years of both sides wanting a move and gave him a change of scenery as he returned from the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. After a tumultuous season in Washington, Ovechkin hoped to see his friend thrive in Carolina.
“I hope he’s going to be better,” he said. “I hope he’s going to have a fresh start. And I wish him luck.”
Ovechkin, now 38, had already watched one longtime teammate step back this year when Nicklas Backstrom took a leave of absence in the fall. Four months later, yet another iconic Capitals player has drifted away.
“Only five guys left (from the 2018 Stanley Cup-winning team),” he said. “It’s sad, but we’re on this kind of league. It’s a business. Us as hockey players, it’s our job to go to go out there and show the best way we can do. And GM’s job is to do what we have the best to do.”
Head coach Spencer Carbery highlighted the move’s impact on Ovechkin, crediting his empathy for his now-former teammate. After so many years of close friendship, the loss took a toll both on and off the ice.
“I’ve talked to [Ovechkin] quite a bit, probably three different times through this process. I’ll keep that between us,” he said. “But I think it’s a little bit different for him, because he has such a strong relationship with Kuz and they’re so close and their families are so close. I think though at the end of it, O is so–the hockey, yeah, it’s important. It’s what we do…But for O, it’s his family. It’s the human part of it.
“He just wants the best for Kuz and his wife, his kids. So that’s what you can tell. It really shows that these incredible world-class athletes are humans and they care about brothers, family, the wellbeing of people that are close to them.”
Even Carbery — who spent less than a year with Kuznetsov on the Capitals — felt the weight of history behind the trade. The player Carbery had coached was a far cry from Kuznetsov at his peak, certainly, but he meant much more to the team and city where he’d spent more than a decade.
Between what Carbery had seen from afar and the memories fans resurfaced after the trade, he refused to let Kuznetsov’s final months define his legacy in Washington.
“I caught myself reflecting back on all of what he’s done for the organization. I saw some of the highlights on social media. Because I think it’s important: when things don’t end in the storybook ending, the way sometimes we all envision it and want it to play out, when it doesn’t, we focus on the negative part of it and the ending part of it. And I think it’s always important in life to think about all those things that he has done for the organization, that he was a part of all those (moments).
“And not just the goal or the Stanley Cup, but even some of those playoff series. He was right there, playing a huge role in so many wins, playoff failures, but then also successes. So I think it’s important to reflect on all the things he did for the organization in a positive light as well.”
