Elliotte Friedman released his latest 30 Thoughts column over the weekend and had an interesting bullet about Evgeny Kuznetsov.
After leading the Capitals in points during the regular season, Kuznetsov only managed a goal and an assist in 12 postseason games. Many Caps fans criticized Kuzy for disappearing during the playoffs. According to Friedman, Kuznetsov dwelled on his postseason play and the Caps loss to the Penguins. He sounded miserable over the offseason.
“We didn’t talk hockey all summer,” Kuznetsov said. “End of the day, you have to win something and you have to do it for your family. I think the whole team, we’re like a family. When I say family, I mean team. That’s the problem sometimes you can score 1,000 goals but what you got?”
Here’s Fridge’s entire bullet on Kuznetsov.
13. Don’t get a lot of time around Evgeny Kuznetsov, but he’s a very interesting quote. Asked before the World Cup what he worked on during the summer, he pointed to his mind. Some of the other Capitals at the event said Kuznetsov dwells on his failures and needs to let go. “You just have to forget,” he said. “Every day is a new life. I worked with my friends and they helped a lot and I think it gets better for here.” What did you learn? “I learned it doesn’t matter how you play. You score hat trick, you got four penalties, whatever. If your team win, you have to forget, happy. Sometimes the team win and you feel bad in the locker room because you give up a couple good chances, they score against you. I always worry about that. If you came in locker room after the game, I can’t look at your eyes, I feel bad. You have to be stronger. Hey guys, you got me today, I get you tomorrow. I always worry about that. I worry about my linemates, if they didn’t score I think that’s my bad.” Kuznetsov said his parents worried about him because he had trouble dealing with the playoff loss to Pittsburgh. “We didn’t talk hockey all summer…End of the day, you have to win something and you have to do it for your family. I think the whole team, we’re like a family. When I say family, I mean team. That’s the problem sometimes you can score 1,000 goals but what you got?”
If you wonder why Kuznetsov has become one of the greatest players on earth, look no further than the high expectations he holds himself too.
In an article entitled Believe It or Not, Evgeny Kuznetsov Has Played Really Well This Postseason, RMNB’s Pat Holden explained how Kuznetsov’s underlying play was actually better in the playoffs than in the regular season. He and his fellow linemates’ shooting percentages just cratered. The second line couldn’t finish. That happens in a small sample size like 12 games.
But don’t tell that to Evgeny Kuznetsov.
