The 31-year-old said on a new podcast that he has seen the rumors and called "95 percent" of them "superficial."

Washington Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov has been the center of trade rumors and speculation all offseason, with the team looking to revamp the top-6 and make changes following a disappointing season. Now, he has finally responded with training camp just weeks away.

The 31-year-old appeared on the podcast "Hockey On Kinopoisk" on Tuesday, where he chose to respond to the ongoing trade talks. He clarified his reported trade request, saying that it was "not quite true."

"To be honest, I learned about it myself from the press," Kuznetsov said, as transcribed by sports.ru and translated via Google Translate.

General manager Brian MacLellan expressed disappointment with Kuznetsov's performance after the season, which saw the Russian put up 55 points in 81 games for one of the lowest scoring rates of his career, while his shooting percentage plummeted to 7 percent.

However, Kuznetsov said he was optimistic that he would bounce back and show what he can do.

Now, the team is pondering its next move as it looks to return to the playoffs and inject youth into the lineup. Reports have indicated that he and Anthony Mantha have been shopped and that there were potential rumblings around draft time. No moves have been made, though. Now it appears that there could be a wait-and-see approach as Spencer Carbery takes over for Peter Laviolette, who didn't appear to exactly be on the same page with No. 92 (though Kuznetsov said that he and Laviolette had a good relationship, while Laviolette called it an "honest" one).

Ultimately, Kuznetsov is trying not to focus on the talks and is stressing the importance of training as he looks to bounce back while stating that "95 percent of these rumors are superficial." Still, he hasn't ruled out the possibility that he could be on the move; he does have a no-trade clause that lists 10 teams that he can decline a trade to. In the 

"I tried to [separate] myself from it," Kuznetsov added. "There are agents, they are in touch with Washington and are doing their work. The club is constantly trying to improve the lineup. If possible, I will be traded or someone else. I think nothing here depends on me.

"My task is to train and be in the best shape. No matter where I start the season, I will need to prove to the team that I can play and be useful."