Photo credit: Sportsnet
Evgeny Kuznetsov’s departure from the NHL was a massive shock to hockey fans this summer, and now he’s opened up on the surprise reason why he made the move.
For the past decade, Evgeny Kuznetsov has been one of the NHL’s best centers, putting on a postseason show for the ages in 2018 when the Washington Capitals captured their first Stanley Cup. He was quickly waived from the team in 2023/24 however, and now, he has revealed that the reason behind this was the same reason he left the NHL to join SKA St. Petersburg this off-season.
“I had rheumatoid arthritis,” Kuznetsov said, per a DeepL translation. “I was taking pills and shots all year… I couldn’t sleep for a year; I could only get two hours a night. I’m not one to complain, but I had to, and no one really believed me. (General manager) Brian MacLellan didn’t even know that I had been suffering all year.”
Shockingly, Kuznetsov has claimed that he was suffering all year long while on medication, with people in the NHLPA’s Player Assistance Program and the Capitals organization not believing him. Given the NHL’s duty of care to their players, this claim is an absolute shocker, and for Washington to waive him immediately after leaving the program makes them look terrible.
The issues have not persisted in recent times, and now Kuznetsov reveals he is feeling better than he has in a long time as he makes his move back to Europe and the KHL.
“I hope (issues don’t follow me to Russia). There are different reasons as to why certain things happen in life,” Kuznetsov said. “One of them is motivation and understanding what responsibility I have. One mistake can disappoint a lot of people.”
Unsurprisingly, the 32-year old star believes he has plenty left in the tank, and as he joins one of the KHL’s most elite teams, he has the goal of proving the entire world wrong.
“A lot of people close to me are waiting for me to shit myself. That’s the most treacherous thing,” Kuznetsov added. “There’s motivation to prove to them I haven’t lost my hockey skills… I haven’t forgotten how to play hockey. That’s the most important thing.”
We hope that the issues don’t follow Kuznetsov to the KHL, as he is one of the most exciting players in the world when he’s healthy, so now we will wait and see how his first season in the KHL in over 12 years goes.
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