What's next for the Capitals center now that reports of his trade request have resurfaced?

The Washington Capitals still have some work to do this offseason as general manager Brian MacLellan continues to monitor the trade market, and one of the outstanding items on their to-do list is what to do with Evgeny Kuznetsov.

A new article from Capitals.com writer Mike Vogel seemed to hint that Kuznetsov did, in fact, request a trade from Washington.

"Kuznetsov could hasten his exit with a strong start if he still desires a departure from the District," Vogel wrote.

Reports of a trade request came to light toward the end of last season. Kuznetsov would not comment on the alleged request but did somewhat deny it, indicating he had no idea where they came from and that a lot of it was a desire for publications to gain traction and clicks.

"There's not really anything to comment on, to be honest with you," Kuznetsov said in March, adding, "You know how this is. It’s just people trying to put whatever they want to get the likes and Instagram or Twitter, whatever. I talked to those people. I said, ‘Where did this come from?’ There is something that we can talk later, probably for sure, but at this point, there is nothing to even talk about."

READ MORE ON THE HOCKEY NEWS: MacLellan Says Capitals Havre Trade Offers Out In The Open

Kuznetsov is coming off one of the worst seasons of his career that saw him put up 55 points in 81 appearances, along with a plus-minus rating of minus-26. The 31-year-old had his lowest points-per-game pace since his sophomore season, and his shooting percentage hit an all-time low of seven.

He took accountability for his poor play at the end of the season but did say he was confident that he could bounce back. MacLellan, meanwhile, openly expressed his disappointment with both sides appearing to have building tension.

Now, the question is what Washington does with him going forward.

MacLellan indicated that the Capitals pushed hard to make a deal at the 2023 NHL Draft, but nothing came to fruition. There were also reportedly conversations between them and the Nashville Predators about Kuznetsov's services, which would have reunited him with Barry Trotz. Those talks went nowhere, though, and died out.

Now, MacLellan is still looking for opportunities to make a trade and wants to continue retooling the top-6, which added Max Pacioretty on a low-risk deal to open free agency.

"We'll continue to monitor the trade market," MacLellan said on July 2, adding, "I think we had an aggressive approach at the draft, and nothing's panned out, and we'll continue to have the conversations going forward."

He also indicated to Vogel that the team has offers out in the open and that the players the team is targeting remain available.

Whether or not Kuznetsov stays put remains to be seen, but moving his $7.8 million salary and using him as a trade chip would help MacLellan accomplish his goal of retooling the top-6.

However, the Capitals could wait and see if new head coach Spencer Carbery can help Kuznetsov get back to where he needs to be. Kuznetsov and head coach Peter Laviolette had what Laviolette called an "honest" relationship, though they didn't appear to be on the same page.

Kuznetsov's close friend, hockey agent Sergei Fedotov, also said that Kuznetsov didn't have the same joy playing that he used to in D.C., so perhaps MacLellan could wait and see if Carbery and his excited approach to the team could turn that around for No. 92.

Training camp kicks off on Sept. 20, and MacLellan will continue to talk to teams and keep an eye on the market until then.