Evgeny Kuznetsov is one of the most talented hockey players of his generation. Not only in Russia, but also in the world. This is a player capable of magic. And even more. You can even watch how Kuzya rolls with your mouth open. He does not cut the ice with skates, but hovers over it. And his programs? How Zhenya, having already gone out of the gate, leaves the puck on a nickle, only a few can do it. At such moments, he looks like Santa, who climbed into the chimney and left gifts to his partners. Yes, only Christmas in “Washington” does not happen as often as we would like.
Kuzya, for all his talent, manages to stay outside the club of elite NHL players. Zhenya is undoubtedly standing somewhere nearby, but aside. As if it suits him. “Why is this Kuznetsov not the elite?” – you ask. On the eve of the NHL published a list of the top 20 league center-hitters. And there was neither Kuznetsov, nor another center of “Washington” Nicklas Backstrom. Tell someone else about it two years ago, when the “capital” had just won the Stanley Cup, the NHL could be accused of bias and even myopia. But not now.
Connor McDavid is in first place, Nathan McKinnon is in second. In general, it is expected and difficult to dispute. Heroes of the last generation Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are on the fourth and, respectively, eighth lines. Malkin is the only Russian in the top 20, and even theoretically only Kuznetsov could have accompanied him. But the Chelyabinsk player overseas is less valued today even by Stephen Stemkos, whose absence from the playoffs seems to have even helped Tampa win the championship. One can argue with this ranking, but even according to bare statistics Kuznetsov lost to Stemkos. And also 30 more center forwards.
The numbers that Kuzya showed last season are rather modest. He only scored fewer points in his first full season for Washington. Yes, because of the coronavirus pandemic, not 82 matches were played in the regular season, but much fewer, but the center-forward of the “capital” was far from the “point per game” schedule. We know what Kuznetsov is capable of. We know what caliber this player is. In the championship season, the Russian not only surpassed those points per game, but also knocked out an incredible 32 points in the Stanley Cup. It is by this bar that Kuznetsov is now being judged.
The reason for the decline in Kuznetsov’s game is hardly worth looking for in health problems. During his career, he had much less injuries than the same Malkin. Zhenya does not have to complain about partners either. Who else can boast of being in line with the best sniper of our time? Who gets the most profit from this union – Ovechkin or Kuznetsov – is a topic for another conversation. But the main thing is that there is always someone nearby who will make an assist and understand even the most cunning idea. As often happens with Russian athletes, everything comes from the head.
You don’t need to be a psychologist to understand Kuznetsov’s psychotype. He is a man of mood. When everything is good, the world is beautiful, and the 92nd issue of “Washington” got up on the right foot, we see a real creator. But as soon as the environment becomes at least somewhat dull and hostile, it is as if air is released from Kuznetsov. And it’s not that Zhenya doesn’t know how to play under pressure or doesn’t like responsibility. On the contrary, he is burdened by routine. And the NHL, with its 82 regular season games, is a kind of routine. Americans like to use the epithet “show” to devalue the result, but the show is more for the audience. The players themselves need to extract strength and emotion from themselves. Kuznetsov, it seems, is given especially hard.
Repeatedly from the lips of Kuznetsov himself one could hear his complaints about how primitive and schematic modern hockey has become. And I even want to agree with Zhenya, understand him and forgive him. They say that such a creative person like him cannot breathe in a tactical vice. But then you look at Kucherov and Panarin with Kane, and you realize that they, no less technical and subtle players, somehow manage to remain themselves even in the changed conditions. They do not break themselves, do not give up old hockey habits, but try to become better in order to keep up with new demands. But Kuznetsov …
I have never heard from a single coach that Kuznetsov is lazy. Even if we take into account the cocaine story, it cannot be attributed to the main party-goers of Russian hockey. We all know perfectly well the names of those who flushed their talent down the toilet much more epic. Is it really worth talking about wasted talent when it comes to the two-time world champion and Stanley Cup winner? Apparently, Kuznetsov himself thinks so. For him, playing for fun, life has already gone right. The silver cup doesn’t seem to be exciting anymore. Score 100 points … For what? He will not go to the Olympics out of his own stupidity. Someone, like Pavel Datsyuk, even at 42 finds new incentives for himself. Kuznetsov, already at 28, finds it difficult to find motivation to be the best of the best. And if he did find her, even McDavid would shudder.
Download Sport24 app for Android
– .
