The Stanley Cup-winning center cleared waivers and has been assigned to the Hershey Bears by the Capitals on Sunday.
It's been a woeful season in the Nation's Capital for former Stanley Cup winner and all-star Evgeny Kuznetsov.
The 31-year-old former 26th overall draft pick in 2010 has recorded just 17 points in 43 games with the Capitals, with the club sending the struggling forward to their AHL affiliate in Hershey on Sunday.
Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli, in sharing the news of Kuznetsov clearing waivers and hitting the AHL, surmised that Kuznetsov could be the highest-salaried player to ever play in the American League.
Comparables high profile, high-dollar players to hit the AHL include Wade Redden and Anthon Khudobin, though Kuznetsov's $7.8 million cap hit eclipses both contracts.
"It's about a fresh start for Kuzy, first of all," Caps GM Brian MacLellan shared Saturday, as per The Hockey News Washington correspondent Sammi Silber. "He's been looking for a change in environment, and this might set the wheels in motion for that to be accomplished."
Kuznetsov, who has 568 points in 723 NHL games, heads to a Hershey squad amid one of the hottest runs in AHL history.
The defending Calder Cup champions currently sit first in the league with 85 points in 54 games with a stunning 41-10-0-3 record. They are the winningest club in American Hockey League history.
Kuznetsov was cleared to return to practice this past Friday after entering the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program on February 5.