"Kuznetsov's care continues to be administered pursuant to the player assistance program," the league said of the Capitals center.
ARLINGTON, V.A. — The Washington Capitals got positive news on the Evgeny Kuznetsov front on Saturday, as the center has been cleared by the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program to resume practicing with the team.
Kuznetsov has not been cleared for game action yet, but it is a step in the right direction for the 31-year-old, who entered the program in February.
"Kuznetsov's care continues to be administered pursuant to the player assistance program," the league said in the press release.
There is no exact timeline for Kuznetsov's full-time return to the lineup. In 43 games this season, the Russian picked up six goals and 11 assists for 17 points.
Seeing Kuznetsov take a positive step forward is a bright sign for the group as the team continues its playoff push and sits four points out of a playoff spot. His teammates have been rallying around him following his entry into the program,.
"I will say it's been tough for everybody who played with him. He's a great teammate, great guy to have around," teammate Aliaksei Protas said. "He was one of the guys who was helping me the most and helped me the most. For sure it's tough. We're wishing him to recover quick and get back."
"Any time we lose kind of one of those core players to our group, especially these days with one of the players that was here when we had our Cup run, that's a big hole to fill. There's no one person that can slide in and do what Kuzy does," T.J. Oshie added. "You just can't do it, so it's going to come from a group... first and foremost, we're thinking of Kuz and hope he's doing well and getting healthy."