Joined: Jun. 2018
Posts: 1,671
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So let's break down this Kuznetsov situation outlined here:
- Kuznetsov is not a bad player, nor is he declining. In fact, Kuznetsov has gotten better defensively. This season, (via Evolving-Hockey) Kuznetsov was in the 74th percentile for GAR/xGAR (77th in offense, 70th in defense). Last season, Kuznetsov was in the 2nd percentile defensively, which is awful. To put this in perspective, under Laviolette (and smarter zone deployments), Kuznetsov went up 68 points in net percentile defensively. He's still a solid player, and struggled at times this season due to two bouts with COVID.
- The Caps aren't going to trade Kuznetsov unless they're getting back a top six caliber forward. Trading Kuznetsov for futures doesn't make a ton of sense for a team that's nearing the end of a cup window. Caps are going to be all-in until they're clearly rebuilding, and Ovi/Backstrom retire.
- Stastny is a downgrade at center. Stastny was in the 52nd percentile for GAR/xGAR, and was worse offensively AND defensively than Kuznetsov in Evolving-Hockey's model. Not to mention he's slower and older than Kuznetsov.