Evgeny Kuznetsov needs a fresh start according to Russian agent Sergei Fedotov.
Fedotov, who says he is a longtime friend of the Capitals center, made the comments on the Russian language podcast Bettman Will Call last week. The quotes were transcribed by sports.ru, and have been translated via Google Translate.
Fedotov is currently in the news as he’s the agent of Russian star Matvei Michkov. The prospect will likely be picked towards the very top of the 2023 NHL Draft in June.
When asked what’s gone wrong with Kuznetsov’s play, Fedotov replied that for Kuzy to play his best, he needs to be having fun and he wasn’t able to do so under Peter Laviolette.
“I have known Zhenya for a very long time and are friends,” he said, referring to Kuznetsov by his Russian nickname. “There are people who are quite disciplined. Zhenya is not in this category. Zhenya from the category is closer to me… if I don’t feel [inspired] from what I do, I will definitely look for opportunities to make me feel comfortable. It is an inner and mental state.
“Right now, Zhenya doesn’t have this [joy] from hockey, and Kuznetsov, without this recharge, without a spark, he’s not interested in anything,” Fedotov said. “He wanted to change the team for a long time, he was tired in Washington, and also – not only aggravated, but in many respects it was influenced by the fact that Laviolette does not play the hockey that is typical for Evgeny Kuznetsov.”
Fedotov went on to say that Kuznetsov would “one hundred percent” benefit from a trade and that it might spur him to become the player he once was in the 2018 playoffs, where he led the Capitals in points en route to their first Stanley Cup.
“I often communicate with Zhenya, he doesn’t have this ‘Everything is lost, life is s–t (attitude)’,” Fedotov said. “No, he just needs a change of scenery. He has a family, he has children, in this sense he is doing well. But for him to get more buzz from what he lives with, from hockey … Now he doesn’t have this buzz.”
Fedotov’s comments come nearly two months after it was reported by Match TV that Kuznetsov, through his former Russian agent, had requested a trade from general manager Brian MacLellan in consecutive seasons. It’s unclear if Fedotov has talked to Kuznetsov directly about these topics or was just offering his informed opinions from afar.
Down the stretch of the 2022-23 season, Kuznetsov seemed disengaged as the Capitals missed the postseason for the first time in nine years. Kuznetsov, who spent most of the season as the team’s second-line center, had a team worst plus-minus of minus-26 and put up his fewest points in a full 82-game season in eight years.
“(I’m) probably disappointed in [his year],” MacLellan said. “I think it wasn’t as good as last year. I liked his season last year. He played well. For whatever reason he never quite found his game. There were stretches where I thought he played well but overall I think he underperformed the season he had last year.”
If Kuznetsov had issues with Laviolette, he did not make it evident during his Breakdown Day interview. Laviolette and the Capitals mutually agreed to part ways the day after their season ended.
“He’s a great person, a good coach,” Kuznetsov said. “We spend a lot of time together watching the video clips. He’s a great person and I wish him all the best and he has a great wife and family. Only good stuff to him.”
If Kuznetsov returns to the Capitals in 2023-24 — he’s under contract for another two years — he will get to play under a new coach, perhaps a younger one, who may want the team to play a more creative and fast brand of hockey. That coach will also have to try and help bridge the gap between the Capitals’ aging core and a possible youth movement.
Those could be ingredients to help make hockey fun again for Kuznetsov — if the team and player want to try again.
Headline photo: Alan Dobbins/RMNB
