General manager Brian MacLellan said Wednesday that the center's inconsistent play since the Capitals won the Stanley Cup in 2018 has him considering all options about Kuznetsov.
"We need him to play at his highest ability," MacLellan said. "And if he can't play at his highest ability, we're not going to be a good team and we'd have to make some other decisions."
Washington's season ended with a 3-1 loss to the Boston Bruins in Game 5 of the best-of-7 Stanley Cup First Round on Sunday. It was the third straight season the Capitals were eliminated in the first round since winning the Cup.
Kuznetsov did not score a point in three games in the series after returning from his second stint in NHL COVID-19 protocol. The 29-year-old scored 29 points (nine goals, 20 assists) in 41 regular-season games.
MacLellan said trading Kuznetsov is a possibility, and the Capitals have few untouchables other than left wing Alex Ovechkin and center Nicklas Backstrom.
"We're always open to trading people if it makes sense for what's going on," MacLellan said. "If it's going to make our team better, I think we're open to it. I don't think anybody's off the table. We're not going to trade Ovi or 'Backy' and those type of people, but I think you have to be open on anything."
Kuznetsov said Tuesday he doesn't pay attention to speculation about being traded.
"All I'm worried about [is] what people inside the team and what coaches, what they think actually and what they want me to do," Kuznetsov said. "If I am not [successful], then those rumors will be for every player."
Washington's depth at center with Kuznetsov, Backstrom and Lars Eller was one of its strengths when it won the Stanley Cup. Kuznetsov led those playoffs with 32 points (12 goals, 20 assists) in 24 games in 2018 but hasn't come close to that level since then.
MacLellan said that Kuznetsov testing positive for COVID-19 twice and the extended time he spent in quarantine impacted his play this season but doesn't know how much.
"I think it's the key to our organization, what decisions get made or how he plays or how he comes out of this," MacLellan said.
Another option could be to leave Kuznetsov unprotected for selection by the Seattle Kraken in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft on July 21. Kuznetsov has four seasons remaining on the eight-year, $62.4 million contract ($7.8 million average annual value) he signed July 2, 2017, so there is no guarantee the Kraken would select him.
"We needed more from that position from that amount of salary that we expend on him, but it's tough to evaluate what affect [COVID-19] had on his performance," MacLellan said. "You talk to him and try to get an answer, but I think the reality is I don't have an answer to any of that, just like I don't think any of the health experts have an answer. … So we're trying to figure it out. What part is that, what part is inconsistency? What part is the player? We're working through it right now."
