The Capitals bench boss went a bit more in-depth on the talk he had with Kuznetsov and what he wants from him after his healthy scratch.
ARLINGTON, V.A. — Evgeny Kuznetsov called Monday a "bad, bad day" when he was told by head coach Spencer Carbery that he'd be a healthy scratch. Carbery agreed with that sentiment, saying that it wasn't an easy talk to have with his top center.
Carbery went a bit more in-depth about his decision to scratch Kuznetsov for what would have been his 700th career NHL game, explaining that the news wasn't exactly taken well.
"A really difficult conversation for a player that’s accomplished a lot in his career and is a big part of our team, really hard to deliver that news. Not a fun conversation," Carbery said, adding, "Kuz didn't necessarily agree with the decision, which he's completely entitled to. And I understand that from his perspective."
Kuznetsov watched the action from the bowels of Mullett Arena as his team dropped a 6-0 decision to the Arizona Coyotes to close out a five-game road swing.
Though having someone of Kuznetsov's caliber may have helped provide some offense, he hasn't been able to provide that consistently this season, which is what led to the scratch in the first place with Carbery wanting the Russian to hit reset after managing just nine points through his first 19 games.
"No one wants to sit in the stands, and I don't want to have to do that, either. But when a player isn't — I know there's a better player there. I know what he's capable of doing," Carbery said. "We've had really honest, open conversations and show him and watched and I know he wants it. It's tougher for players like Kuzy because of his skillset and how unique and how elite it is... when pucks aren't going in, they want to score and they're, 'Carbs, I want to do it, but sometimes it's not translating, it's not working.' His players aren't connecting, they're turning over constantly, so we try to dive into why."
Kuznetsov said that, while it wasn't easy to accept the scratch, he agreed with the call and remains confident in Carbery.
“It’s shit, but you gotta accept sometimes and trust the process... I love Carbs so much. I trust what he’s doing and he’s trying to help me find my game and get better and help the team because I know that I gotta be better in every areas," Kuznetsov said. "I have to play better hockey [and] that’s the answer."
Kuznetsov will return to the lineup against the Dallas Stars on Thursday, and there, Carbery wants to see No. 92 get back to playing at the highest level.
"When you've been playing for five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10, 11 seasons, game after game after game, you get into a rhythm and everything is sort of routine for you. But now, when you sit and watch it — really, even though it's just one game— it makes you take a step back," Carbery explained, adding, "Hopefully, him sitting brings a better player and brings the version that we've all seen and know he's capable of being and frankly, what we need as a team... we need that caliber of player of what he's capable of doing, and that's what we're hoping to see."