The help the Washington Capitals have been waiting for since 2010 may finally be on the way.
According to Igor Eronko of Sports.ru and Dmitry Chesnokov of Yahoo! Sports, Capitals 2010 first-round pick Evgeny Kuznetsov has terminated his contract with his KHL team, Traktor Chelyabinsk, and is headed to Washington to join the Caps.
The Caps have been holding out hope Kuznetsov would join them since they took him 26th overall in 2010 believing he’d be a natural fit to play alongside Alex Ovechkin and Alexander Semin. Now with Semin in Carolina, Ovechkin is set up to be his mentor and having a three-time NHL MVP to be that can’t be all that bad.
As for Kuznetsov’s feelings on departing Chelyabinsk for the NHL, you could say it’s nature’s calling.
Evgeni Kuznetsov: 'Even dogs in Chelyabinsk were barking: 'get out of here', 'go to DC'
— Igor Eronko (@IgorEronko) March 7, 2014
With the Capitals in a battle to make the postseason, if Kuznetsov can fit in right away and add some punch to the lineup, it’ll be a huge boost to a team that needs it.
This season for Traktor, Kuznetsov had eight goals and 21 points in 31 games. Caps fans may want to keep their expectations in check for the time being as he adjusts to the NHL.