The Capitals star opens up about overcoming mental roadblocks, his reported trade request and new hope going into the season.
ARLINGTON, V.A. — Evgeny Kuznetsov wears a wide grin as he walks up to the podium at Washington Capitals media day. He's favoring his leg slightly following a long practice and leftover summer tweaks, but regardless, the smile is genuine. For the first time in a long time, he's here — not just physically, but mentally.
It wasn't a sure thing that Kuznetsov would be back, given his disappointing 2022-23 campaign that led to a slew of trade rumors. Despite general manager Brian MacLellan's aggressive push to make a move and a reported trade request from No. 92, Kuznetsov is in D.C. to start camp, and that it's exactly where he wants to be.
"I'm actually in a good spot mentally," Kuznetsov said. "I'm taking one day at a time. I'm here today and I'm going to give everything I have... I'm happy to be here and I'm happy to share the locker room with the teammates. There is a fresh start fo the whole team, and I'm focusing every day on my personal goals. I want to help the team, I want to make people happy, I want this team to succeed."
Amid all of the outside noise and critiques this summer, the 31-year-old used the extended offseason to unplug and get away. He flew back home to Chelyabinsk, Russia, to recover, reflect and clear his mind.
"There's no social media in Russia right now, so it helped me a lot. The only stuff I was able to get is from friends or people outside coming to me and sending me some different tips and stuff," Kuznetsov explained. "For me, it was really important to be healthy and come back here and perform every day."
Overseas, Kuznetsov trained the same way and put in work on and off the ice, visiting his former KHL club Traktor and also skating in a charity game with teammate Alex Ovechkin. He wasn't forced to invest in any of the ongoing trade speculation and, instead, got to focus on himself and hit reset.
It paid off for the Russian, who saw his mental health take a hit after inconsistency, struggles and injury woes plagued him last year. In 81 games last season, Kuznetsov had 55 points for his lowest scoring rate in nearly a decade. His shooting percentage also plummeted to a career-low of seven.
"There was a lot of bad thoughts in my head and negativity because I wasn't happy the way I played," Kuznetsov revealed. "I wasn't happy the way I performed. I know how can I play and what I can bring to the table. But I wasn't happy the way I played, and there is frustration, right? When you're frustrated, you're probably thinking about too much. For me, it was very important to regroup and come back here and enjoy every day.
"I wanted to play [well]; I'm not the guy that's gonna get a big paycheck, and be happy every day. Every time i come back home after a bad practice or bad game, I bitch at myself, and I'm not happy about it," he noted. "And every time I'm walking in the locker room every morning knowing that I'm not performing the way the guys expect me to perform, I'm feeling bad about it. I'm not that guy that's just getting a lot of money and walks happy and smile."
While Kuznetsov didn't make any big changes to his summer regimen, he was able to find new motivation and work on improving his mental health, and it paid off as he returned to D.C. a different player.
"I feel like we all need that little bit of regroup and fresh start. The last year was disappointing. Nobody was happy about it; when the team's not doing well, there's always going to be talks and rumors and stuff like that," he added. "My job is just to enjoy every day and to help the team get better every day. So far, I've been excited about and enjoyed every day.
"For me, it was really important to be healthy and come back here and perform every day," Kuznetsov said. "The most important thing for me is just to help the team get better every day... I want to be happy, and I want the people to be happy with the way I play, the way I can play."
New head coach Spencer Carbery also played a major role in giving Kuznetsov a new motivation. The two have had productive conversations over the course of the summer, and the star center said that, out of the four coaches he's had since arriving in D.C., he feels Carbery is a "perfect match" for his game.
"He's a great person. I feel like the way he sees hockey, it's perfect match for me... there is a lot of positivity in my head when I talk to him," Kuznetsov said. "The most important: he was very honest with me, and I was very honest with him, too."
And for Kuznetsov, the coaching change couldn't come at a better time.
"I'm looking for that for sure. That coach that's gonna ask to create more, to ask to score some goals, to ask to hold onto that puck, to ask to skate with that puck — not just the simple things, but also there is expectation," Kuznetsov said, adding, "He knows what we can bring [to] the table... I think he's gonna ask exactly where I can do best to be successful. I'm very excited about that challenge in front of me."
At the end of the day, Kuznetsov wants to help Washington remain a Cup contender and not only buy in and play well for himself but for his teammates.
"There is a lot of guys that has a short window for making the playoffs and go through those experiences, and I know I'm one of those pieces that has to be on point every night," he explained. "I wasn't like that last year, and there's a lot of things that goes into that. My goal is just to make sure that when the season starts, every morning I come back, that I can look guys [in the] eyes and say, 'Guys, I did everything,' and they know that I was trying my best."
And then, there's his family.
"I want to be successful, too, because my kids grow up and they understand hockey a little bit. Now every time I have a shitty game, they kind fo talk to me about that. That's not good. I can lie to you or anybody else, but not the kids," he joked.
When it comes to expectations, Kuznetsov said he wants to get the Capitals back to their contending ways. At the end of the day, he feels new hope, and he said Washington's success will start with him, whether it be in terms of scoring, killing penalties or making plays.
"I want to make sure that every night, I'm there for my teammates, and every night, I'm in good form and I'm creating," Kuznetsov said. "I'm all offense right there; it wasn't there last year... I just got to regroup, and make sure that I raise the bar even higher."