Superstar asks for a trade out of Washington

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Felip Gosselin
March 26, 2023 (8:27 PM)

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The Washington Capitals' fourth highest-paid player is reportedly seeking a change of scenery from Washington D.C.

While it's uncommon to hear such news during the National Hockey League season, the trade deadline having passed earlier this month, Capitals forward Evgeny Kuznetsov has now demanded a trade out of Washington through his agent.

According to a report from Russian media outlet Match TV, Kuznetsov's desire to be moved isn't new as the original request for a trade was made as long as two years ago. However, it appears that the situation has escalated, with reports of his trade demands being leaked through the Russian media.

From Match TV, translated via Google translate:

''On Friday, the North American media reported that Washington could trade Kuznetsov in the offseason. However, as it became known to Match TV, Kuznetsov himself has been asking the Capitals for an exchange for the second year through his agent. Previously, the capital club was not ready for this.''

The 30-year-old centerman is unhappy, likely due to his decreased production and being replaced on the Capitals' top line by Dylan Strome. In the previous season, Kuznetsov scored 24 goals, tallied 54 assists, and accumulated 78 points in 79 games. However, this season, he has only scored 12 goals, assisted in 41, and obtained a total of 53 points in 73 games, a significant decline.

Although the trade deadline has passed, moving Kuznetsov will be more feasible in the offseason since his current deal incurs a substantial cap hit of $7.8 million per year. Furthermore, Kuznetsov has two more years left on his contract after this season, so any potential suitors must be able to manage that salary for two seasons. It'll definitely be intriguing to see how this unfolds since Alexander Ovechkin had also stated that he would not want to go after Gretzky's goalscoring record in a rebuilding team.