Capitals' Kuznetsov to enter NHL/NHLPA player assistance program
Published
Washington Capitals forward Evgeny Kuznetsov has entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program and will be away from the club indefinitely to receive care.
Kuznetsov, 31, has six goals and 17 points in 43 games this season. He was absent from Capitals practice on Monday morning.
He will return to the club when cleared for on-ice competition by the program administrators.
He is in the seventh season of an eight-year, $62.4 million contract with an AAV of $7.8 million.
Drafted 26th overall by Washington at the 2010 NHL Draft, Kuznetsov helped the Capitals win the franchise's first-ever Stanley Cup championship in 2018.
In 723 career NHL games, the Chelyabinsk, Russia native has scored 171 goals and 569 points. In 87 postseason games, he has 29 goals and 67 points.