The Washington Capitals have been surprisingly strong to start their 2023-24 campaign. With a 15-9-4 record through 28 games, they currently sit fifth in the Metropolitan Division and three points behind the Carolina Hurricanes, but have played four fewer games. Their captain, Alex Ovechkin, has struggled offensively this season for the first time in his career to start a new season, but the team seems to be rallying around him and has been successful even with his shocking lack of production.
Related: 3 Capitals’ Trade Partners in a Potential Evgeny Kuznetsov Deal
While the team hasn’t been great offensively, it seems as though they have recently been looking for ways to change that and be a contender this season after missing the playoffs and winding up with the eighth overall selection in the draft. While the core of Ovechkin, John Carlson, and Tom Wilson is aging, and with Nicklas Backstrom unfortunately out for the season with a major injury, the Capitals have proven they don’t want to sit back and let another season go to waste, but they’d rather push for their second Stanley Cup in franchise history.
One player who has surprisingly been in and out of the lineup on his team is Vancouver Canucks forward Andrei Kuzmenko. He has been a healthy scratch several times this season and seems to be a player that head coach Rick Tocchet isn’t a fan of. Kuzmenko has six goals and has added 11 assists for 17 points through 29 games this season which is quite good for a player who has spent the majority of his time in the bottom six, but his play is still something the Canucks don’t seem to like.
If the Canucks don’t want to play him, that’s no issue for a Capitals team who will be looking to bolster their roster come the trade deadline. A connection between the two teams seems to have been made by Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman. But while he mentioned the Capitals had interest in Kuzmenko, he was quick to point out there may not be a fit due to salary cap issues and the Capitals’ lack of assets. Here is what he had to say about the Capitals and their potential interest in Kuzmenko:
“I’m just curious to see how you fix this. I think Washington is a team that’s looked around at Kuzmenko but I just don’t see a trade match there. It’s not like the Canucks are going to take Anthony Mantha. I just don’t know where this is going to sort itself out aside from the fact that you can’t have a guy making that salary playing 12 minutes a night. It doesn’t work in today’s cap system. We’ll see where it goes.”
– Elliotte Friedman (The Jeff Marek Show)
Friedman likely mentions Capitals’ forward Anthony Mantha for salary cap reasons, but the Canucks aren’t believed to have any interest in him. However, the Capitals have seemingly been happy with Mantha’s play as of late and don’t seem to be in a rush to move him unless they see an opportunity to upgrade the roster. Fortunately for the Capitals, they have plenty of time to decide what they’re going to do and who they’re going to target at the trade deadline, but it doesn’t seem like there is much of a chance Kuzmenko gets traded to the Capitals.
Hypothetical Kuzmenko Fit With The Capitals
While there doesn’t seem to be much of a chance of a Kuzmenko trade happening any time soon and almost no chance he becomes a Capital, let’s take a hypothetical look at where he would fit if the Capitals were to somehow pull off a monster trade with the Canucks to bring him in. Under the assumption that Mantha would have to be traded if Kuzmenko is brought in due to the money issues, Kuzmenko could slot into the second line alongside Aliaksei Protas and Connor McMichael.
While Capitals forward Evgeny Kuznetsov has been playing on the third line since he was a healthy scratch just a few games ago, his confidence and overall play could be rejuvenated playing alongside a fellow Russian player in Kuzmenko. Moving Kuznetsov up to the second line could be an option, but there is also the idea of spreading out the firepower and leaving him in the bottom six, which might be beneficial for the Capitals as a team.
Kuzmenko’s strength is his ability to produce offensively. The Capitals haven’t been the worst team in the NHL, but they have struggled offensively on some nights. Adding a guy like Kuzmenko who is coming off of a 74-point campaign in his first season in the NHL and may simply need a change of scenery could be huge for the Capitals, and he could become a difference-maker in the team’s quest for a Stanley Cup.
The only issue with this is the Canucks are also vying for a Stanley Cup this season. While Kuzmenko might be in Tocchet’s dog house because of internal issues with the team, whatever those may be, he is still a massive part of the Canucks and is a player who could help lead them to success in the postseason. With two contending teams potentially being trade partners, it becomes even harder to make a deal as neither one wants to give the other a better chance of winning, thus likely making any Kuzmenko deal to Washington close to impossible.
The Capitals will be buyers come the trade deadline if they keep playing well up until that point, but they will likely have to look in another direction as far as trying to improve their roster. Hopefully, they will make the right moves and have a Stanley Cup-contending team late in the season, and a roster that can help lead the Capitals to their second Stanley Cup in franchise history.
