The hot topic for the Washington Capitals this offseason was determining if Evgeny Kuznetsov would be in Washington come October. <h2>Kuznetsov's Struggles</h2> Kuznetsov had a relatively disappointing season last year, recording only 55 points. That's 23 fewer than the season before, and has put his name squarely on the trading block this offseason. It was reported that Kuznetsov has actually requested a trade to get out of D.C., as NHL writer Mike Vogel confirmed this July. Kuznetsov has requested a trade in multiple seasons. <div align='center' style='padding-top:20px;padding-bottom:20px;'><img src='https://i.marqueur.com/habsetlnh/i/photo/298442.webp' width='100%' border='0' alt='image' loading='lazy' defer /></div> <h2>Ovechkin's Thoughts</h2> Ovi and Kuznetsov are long-time friends, teammates, and countrymen. He had this to say about a potential trade. <q>«I know as much as you do. How will I react to the exchange? This is a hockey business. Today you are here, tomorrow there, the day after tomorrow on another team. «I hope that this will not happen, because he is my close friend, a wonderful person, a great teammate. Therefore, I would not want this, but it does not depend on me.»</q> With no potential trade partner found yet, time will tell whether Ovi and Kuznetsov will play another season together, and potentially snag another milestone-worthy pic in the process. <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/Capitals/status/1503927224143130633'> </a></blockquote></div> As read on <a href='https://russianmachineneverbreaks.com/2023/08/14/alex-ovechkin-on-possible-evgeny-kuznetsov-trade/' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>RMNB</a> - Alex Ovechkin on Capitals potentially trading Evgeny Kuznetsov: ‘I would not want this, but it does not depend on me'