There will be NO free pass for Evgeny Kuznetsov
Vladislav Tretiak confirmed that one of Russia's best forwards, Evgeny Kuznetsov, will not participate in the 2022 Olympic Games. As a reminder, Kuznetsov received a four-year suspension following a positive cocaine test in 2019. But since "Kuzy" is a star, rumors indicated the possibility that the suspension would be lifted so that he would participate in the next Olympics.
This rumor took off around February, when the main interested party shouted that he would appeal to have this suspension considered too severe, broken. But, officially, this sentence will not be lifted and Kuznetsov will have to watch from afar his Russian comrades fight for a medal. Even if he indicates that this situation is not over, it is closed for the IIHF.
"I have my agents and lawyers. When the time comes, they will talk to whoever is right and understand the situation. If the IIHF helps us, it will mean a lot, because without them, nothing will happen. If they are successful, our team will gain a center who will hopefully still be able to play," said Kuznetsov.
In the case of Tretiak, he would like to count on Kuznetsov, but this will not be the case!
"It would be great. Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do. We tried, but we were told right away that it was not possible," said Tretiak.
That being said, Kuznetsov hasn't seemed to be in anyone's good graces for the past two years... and then the Capitals have been considering trading him for several months. During the shortened schedule, Kuznetsov caught COVID-19 twice and had a season well below his potential. He also struggled with some teammates, which bothered many on the team. In short, keep an eye on his name, he could be leaving soon!
