In recent months, there has been speculation that Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov had asked for a change of scenery.  Yesterday, in an article on their team site from Mike Vogel, they confirmed that the middleman did indeed request to be traded.

The 31-year-old had one of his best offensive seasons in 2021-22, picking up 24 goals and 54 assists in 79 games.  However, Kuznetsov wasn’t able to build on that last season as his goal total was cut in half while he still managed 43 helpers.  A report out of Russia last month suggested that the relationship with the team wasn’t past the point of no return but that he was seeking more offensive freedom; it’s possible that new head coach Spencer Carbery could give him that freedom.