The Carolina Hurricanes mic’d up former Capital Evgeny Kuznetsov during their recent team picture day and this may be the single best decision across the NHL this season.
Kuznetsov spent most of the event near his close friend Dmitry Orlov, cackling and making jokes.
“Picture day with Kuzy is an instant serotonin boost,” the Hurricanes wrote on Twitter to promote the clip. They’re not wrong.
The video begins with Kuznetsov walking out of the locker room and greeting several members of the staff.
“Hello, sir,” Kuznetsov says. “How are you? Ahhhhmazing.”
As he walks out onto the bench and notices the team photo setup, he makes an “OOOOOOOOO” noise. “Now we’re talking!” Kuzy exclaims.
And then from there, it devolves into silliness.
Jake Guentzel tells Kuznetsov “Your hair looks good.” Kuznetsov bashfully goes “ahhhh” and throws up his hand. He begins laughing uncontrollably.
Next while standing near the platform, he tells a teammate, “Move a little bit.” More cackling.
Perhaps the funniest line is when Kuzy observes that Orlov looks like an NFL linebacker.
Kuznetsov observes to another player or staff member, “You gotta get a mustache. Someting like. You look too friendly.” More cackling.
Finally, the Hurricanes take their team photo and Orlov and Kuznetsov just can’t stop laughing.
Putting Orly and Kuzy next to each other for the team photo went exactly how you thought it would 😂 pic.twitter.com/7W7bXdHXIz
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) April 3, 2024
Since Kuznetsov arrived in Raleigh, the two 2018 Stanley Cup champions have been seemingly inseparable. Kuznetsov even tried to smooch Orlov on the cheek multiple times during an interview in mid-March. They were described by Bally as “two best friends since they were 16 years old.”
“It’s fantastic,” Kuznetsov said of his reunion with Orlov. “I think we’re both in the position where we both need each other. It’s a perfect match. We spend a lot of time together and enjoy each other you know.”
Orlov then put his arm around Kuznetsov. They, of course, awkwardly laughed.
“We’ve been in the bye week together,” Kuznetsov said. “We’ve been for 15 years together. It’s nice to get a little help from him and I hope he gets something from me. It’s amazing how life circle around.”
Orlov added that while the two players weren’t on the same team to start the season, they stayed in touch to try and support each other.
“We’ve been connected a lot during the season,” Orlov said. “It was tough time for him. We try to help each other. Just kind of open up a little bit sometimes. If you hold it for too long inside of you, it doesn’t help you. Right now we’re both smiling and playing good hockey.
“He’s a special person not only hockey. He’s a funny guy, always joking, never been serious. It’s always fun being with him.”
Kuznetsov, as a member of the Hurricanes, will play his second game against his former team tonight in Raleigh. He has 6 points (2g, 5a) in 14 games with Carolina.
