Washington Capitals’ Evgeny Kuznetsov to receive care from NHL/NHLPA player assistance program

The NHL and NHLPA have announced that Washington Capitals forward Evgeny Kuznetsov will be away from the team for an indefinite period while receiving care from the player assistance program.

While no timeline for a return is known, Kuznetsov will be eligible to return to the team when he is cleared for on-ice competition by the program’s administrators.

Kuznetsov missed practice on Monday morning due to what the team referred to as “personal reasons.”

The 31-year-old is in his 11th NHL season, having played all of them with the Capitals since getting selected 26th overall in 2010. The 31-year-old center has 171 goals and 568 points in 723 career games. It’s been a difficult season for the Caps forward, who has just six goals and 16 points in 43 games this year – a 31-point pace.

Kuznetsov has been the subject of trade rumors this season, with the Capitals potentially looking to move on from his $7.8 million cap hit. Kuznetsov is set to become a free agent after the 2024-25 NHL season.

Kuznetsov represented the Capitals at the 2016 and 2022 NHL all-star events and was also a key piece of Washington’s Stanley Cup in 2018.

Outside of the NHL, Kuznetsov won gold at the 2011 World Juniors with Russia before taking home MVP honors the following year. He also won gold at the 2014 World Championship and three bronze medals at the senior level.

The Capitals are seven points behind the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs for the two wild-card playoff spots. The Caps are 22-18-7 with 51 points, including 4-5-1 over the past 10 games. The Caps will host the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday before traveling to Florida to take on the Panthers on Thursday night. They’ll be busy on the weekend, fighting against Boston on Saturday before hosting the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday.