Evgeny Kuznetsov

Spencer Carbery on Evgeny Kuznetsov and Anthony Mantha: ‘I have great belief that they’re going to come in, be highly motivated’

As Spencer Carbery starts his first season in Washington, he’ll attempt to revitalize a team that failed to make the playoffs this spring for the first time in nine years. The Capitals’ bounce-back will depend in part on forwards Evgeny Kuznetsov and Anthony Mantha, who both struggled last year. Though Kuznetsov and Mantha were apparently on the trade block this offseason, no trades have yet materialized.

Carbery spoke on the pair during a podcast interview on Mike Vogel’s Break the Ice, where he walked through his plan to help both players return to form.

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By Katie Adler 2 weeks ago

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Alex Ovechkin among the many local sports legends who attend Washington Commanders sold out home opener

The Washington Commanders had an ownership change over the offseason, finally cutting ties with longtime problematic figurehead Dan Snyder. With new owners Josh Harris, Magic Johnson, and Mark Ein at the helm, the Commanders had an excitement and buzz at FedEx Field for the team’s home opener against the Arizona Cardinals that had long been missing over the last decade-plus.

That energy and optimism was felt early by the sold-out crowd with how deafening it was. It also showed in the sports celebrities that attended the game.

The Washington Capitals were well represented at the football team’s season opener in Landover, MD. Caps captain Alex Ovechkin and his family were in the house along and the team’s Russian prospects — Alex Alexeyev and Ivan Miroshnichenko. The American football game appears to be the first for Miroshnichenko.

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By Ian Oland 3 weeks ago

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Alex Ovechkin officially returns, joins Capitals informal skates ahead of training camp

The gang is almost entirely back together.

With Labor Day weekend over, the Washington Capitals took to the ice on Tuesday morning and held their biggest informal skate to date as Training Camp quickly approaches on September 21.

The session was highlighted by the return of Alex Ovechkin, who jumped onto the ice after flying back to DC over the weekend from Russia.

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By Ian Oland 3 weeks ago

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Evgeny Kuznetsov cheers on Traktor Chelyabinsk to preseason victory as GM hopes he returns to the club ‘someday’

Evgeny Kuznetsov was back in his old barn this weekend, watching his former Traktor Chelyabinsk compete in the KHL’s Chelyabinsk Governor’s Cup.

The preseason game concluded with a shootout after Traktor handily defeated Lada Togliatti 3-0 to win the tournament. Noted slo-mo specialist Kuznetsov pulled out the props to egg on his former team from the stands, ringing a bell before Traktor forward Maxim Shabanov’s attempt.

It’s not clear where the bell came from or why he had it, but Kuzy’s good luck charm seemed to work.

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By Katie Adler 1 month ago

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Spencer Carbery calls Evgeny Kuznetsov ‘a very, very important player for our team’

Evgeny Kuznetsov’s future emerged as one of the Capitals’ biggest question marks going into the offseason. After an underperforming season and with reports indicating Kuznetsov had requested a trade, the Capitals seemingly tried to make a deal for the 31-year-old forward this summer to no avail. Kuznetsov remains a Capitals as of late August and appears increasingly likely to start the season in Washington.

With less than a month to go until training camp, new head coach Spencer Carbery thinks Kuznetsov can still be a big contributor to the the team and used a welcoming, optimistic tone while sharing his thoughts about the Russian centerman.

Carbery made the comments to NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti.

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By Katie Adler 1 month ago

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Zach Fucale consulted with Evgeny Kuznetsov before signing with Traktor, says Bears made right choice starting Hunter Shepard in playoffs

Zach Fucale left the Washington Capitals organization this summer, signing a one-year deal with the KHL’s Traktor Chelyabinsk. Fucale, who backed up Hunter Shepard during the the Hershey Bears’ Calder Cup championship run, will play in Russia for the first time in his professional career.

Before he made the decision to go overseas, Fucale consulted with several Capitals about playing hockey in the KHL, including Evgeny Kuznetsov, who was brought up through the Traktor system, Aliaksei Protas, and Bogdan Trineyev.

Fucale arrived in Russia earlier this week. He recently spoke about the move with Sport-Express’ Mikhail Zislis.

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By Chris Cerullo 1 month ago

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Alex Ovechkin on Capitals potentially trading Evgeny Kuznetsov: ‘I would not want this, but it does not depend on me’

One of the main discussion points surrounding the Washington Capitals this offseason has been center Evgeny Kuznetsov and whether or not he’ll still be a Caps player come the first drop of the puck in October.

Kuznetsov is coming off a disappointing 2022-23 campaign that saw him record 23 fewer points than his 2021-22 output and has seen his name pop up in trade rumors on a consistent basis this summer.

Match TV reported last March that Kuznetsov had requested a trade in consecutive seasons through his agent. In July, Capitals’ senior writer Mike Vogel confirmed that Kuzy desired a change of scenery.

Caps captain Alex Ovechkin was asked by Irina Motova of Russian outlet RIA Novosti on Friday to give his thoughts on all of the noise surrounding his long-time linemate and countryman.

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By Chris Cerullo 2 months ago

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Evgeny Kuznetsov says Capitals have not and will never play solely for Alex Ovechkin to get the goals record: ‘I think it’s stupid’

Washington Capitals’ center Evgeny Kuznetsov believes some “couch experts” are off in how they talk about the team’s objectives as Alex Ovechkin enters the twilight of his career.

Just because the Capitals are trying to field a competitive team that will help Ovechkin overtake Wayne Gretzky’s goals record, doesn’t mean the players on the ice are “purposely” playing for it, says Kuzy. This nuance is important to him.

Kuznetsov made the comments while speaking on the Hockey on Kinopoisk podcast. During the interview, he also notably spoke about his reported trade request and criticism he received from Wayne Gretzky on his super slow shootout move.

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By Ian Oland 2 months ago

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Evgeny Kuznetsov responds to Wayne Gretzky’s criticism of his super slow shootout move

Evgeny Kuznetsov was asked about Wayne Gretzky’s recent criticism of his super slow shootout move during a podcast appearance with Hockey on Kinopoisk.

While an analyst on TNT, Gretzky thought the league should outlaw the move and instill a shot clock for all shootout attempts.

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By Ian Oland 2 months ago

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Evgeny Kuznetsov on past reports that he requested a trade from the Capitals: ‘It’s not entirely true’

The biggest Capitals-related storyline heading into this offseason was the status of center Evgeny Kuznetsov. The Russian centerman is coming off of a season considered to be an underperformance by both Caps general manager Brian MacLellan and himself.

Match TV reported in March that Kuznetsov had requested a trade in consecutive seasons through his agent. In July, Capitals’ senior writer Mike Vogel confirmed that Kuzy desired a change of scenery.

When asked about the trade request during the season, Kuznetsov didn’t directly deny the report, but has now appeared to confirm it to the Russian hockey outlet Hockey on Kinopoisk — though with spin.

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By Chris Cerullo 2 months ago

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