Report: Kuznetsov Trade Talks Likely To Continue In Offseason, Deal With Predators Last Summer Fell Through

Kuznetsov remained with the team despite an aggressive push by Capitals GM Brian MacLellan to make a trade this offseason.

The Washington Capitals had made an aggressive push this past offseason to make a move and apparently had a deal in place to move Evgeny Kuznetsov, but things fell through. And though it appears he'll see the rest of the season through in the District, this coming summer could see No. 92 come up in discussions again.

Per The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun, Kuznetsov is not likely to be moved at this year's deadline or before the summer because of his $7.8 million cap hit and having this year and one more left on his deal, but he could be among the names on the move at the draft or in the offseason given the fact that he'll be in the last year of his idea while there's also more flexibility with the salary cap.

LeBrun also mentioned that a deal appeared to be in the works that would have sent the Russian to the Nashville Predators, reuniting him with former head coach Barry Trotz, but that fell through. At the time, the reported return was Matt Duchene, who was subsequently bought out and signed with the Dallas Stars. However, it fell through

And now, given the Predators have established their center depth without 92, "that ship has probably sailed."

This season has been a difficult one so far for Kuznetsov, who experienced his first performance-based healthy scratch since his rookie year (his last one in 2021 was for disciplinary reasons), as he's been unable to capture consistency under new head coach Spencer Carbery. He has also missed three games due to illness.

And while there are flashes of star power, he's on pace to finish with just 33 points, which would be the worst performance of his career in a season with at least 42 games played.

For Kuznetsov, he knows that he needs to improve his overall game, and even said that, although he was disappointed with the scratch, it was "probably" the right cal.

"I love (Spencer Carbery) 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 area... I have to play better hockey."