Evgeny Kuznetsov was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday, officially ending his tenure with the Washington Capitals.
Speaking to Hurricanes’ press after his first practice with the team, Kuznetsov was emotional speaking about his time in Washington, calling the city a “massive chunk of my heart.”
“I want to say thanks to the whole Caps organization, and the fans,” Kuznetsov said getting choked up. “It was 11 years. Both of my kids born there. That city is massive chunk of my heart. Unfortunately I had to leave that way on that note, but it’s life.”
But Kuznetsov saved his kindest words for his longtime running mate and friend, Alex Ovechkin. The Capitals’ captain let Kuznetsov live at his house when the Chelyabinsk, Russia native first arrived in Washington in 2014. And they’d go on to form a powerful duo together on the ice, too.
Kuznetsov assisted on 110 Ovechkin goals during the regular season — the first apple coming nearly 10 years to the day — on March 14, 2014 against the Vancouver Canucks. Kuznetsov received over 125-plus of five-on-five minutes of ice time with Ovechkin for 10 straight seasons, including a career high 909:55 in 2021-22.
But according to Kuznetsov, Ovechkin was also there for him during his biggest struggles in his life that included a suspension for inappropriate behavior in 2019 and a recent stay in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance program, where Ovechkin revealed he was in contact with Kuznetsov.
“I’m happy, we had an amazing relationship,” Kuznetsov said. “There’s been a lot of good, bad days forever. But no matter what, he was always next to me. He was always one phone call away from me. He was a big part of my success in my career. I don’t want to say a lot of good stuff about him publicly because you know, he’s going to read this interview and I want to keep it between us. But I love the guys in the locker room.”
Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov 5v5 TOI together
| Year | 5v5 TOI |
|---|---|
| 2014-15 | 126:52 |
| 2015-16 | 306:48 |
| 2016-17 | 328:58 |
| 2017-18 | 557:52 |
| 2018-19 | 584:55 |
| 2019-20 | 291:49 |
| 2020-21 | 274:58 |
| 2021-22 | 909:55 |
| 2022-23 | 369:07 |
| 2023-24 | 178:37 |
Kuznetsov was also Ovechkin’s centerman on the Capitals’ first line when the team won the Stanley Cup championship in 2018. Skating with Tom Wilson on the right wing, Kuznetsov led the NHL in playoff points that year, garnering Conn Smythe Trophy consideration as postseason MVP for his play.
“The biggest takeaway from that Cup run was every player accept the role he played on that team,” Kuznetsov said. “We were all working as a one-man unit. It doesn’t matter if you like your role or not. Everybody was performing and everybody was competing and it was such amazing feelings.”
Kuznetsov also has no doubt that Ovechkin will become the NHL’s all-time goals record holder by the time his career ends. One of Kuznetsov’s 110 assists to Ovechkin came on The Great 8’s 802nd career goal, passing Gordie Howe for second all-time.
“He will,” Kuznetsov said. “I know. He will. He will and I hope I’m not going to pass him that puck when I play against him and I make a turnover and he’s going to score.”
