Caps head coach scratches top line center for peculiar reason

It feels like an eternity has passed since Washington Capitals forward Evgeny Kuznetsov was playing at an all-star level. The 31-year-old has struggled over the last couple seasons and it has resulted in him being made a healthy scratch tonight with his head coach calling it a "mental reset".

The Capitals have started the season out surprisingly well, sporting a 12-7-2 record but carry a league-worst power play and have Alex Ovechkin and John Carlson tied for the team lead in points with 14 - in 21 games.

The Capitals have been without Mac Pacioretty since the 19th of September, Nicklas Backstrom since the 1st of November, and T.J. Oshie since the 25th. The aging cast and crew have found it hard to score goals and Kuznetsov is right there in the middle of it with just 4 goals and 9 points on the season.

Between 2015-16 to 2019-20, Kuznetsov scored 106 goals and 343 points in 382 games, while adding 12 goals and 32 points in 24 playoff games in 2017-18 to push the Capitals over the hump. He scored 78 points in 2021-22 but has been invisible otherwise and carries an immovable 7.8 million dollar cap hit for another season.


Spencer Carberry is looking for someone to take the reins this season with the Capitals 2nd last in the league in goals per game and is hoping that this one-game absence will clear his mind and spur a bounce back.