Yevgeni Kuznetsov had to go to the gym.
Yevgeni Kuznetsov played last season in St. Petersburg SKA. AOP
Former NHL star Yevgeny Kuznetsov, 33, is in such bad shape these days that he can’t even fit into the KHL team Metallurg Magnitogorsk’s lineup.
On Wednesday of last week, Kuznetsov played only five minutes before the coach of Magnitogorsk Andrei Razin benched him. Soon the attacker had already collapsed into the dressing room.
– He went to change his clothes so that he didn’t have to sit on the bench for the entire final game, Razin said of the Sport24 website by.
On Monday, Kuznetsov was left at home to watch his team’s match.
– He is physically in really bad shape. It can be seen as lost pucks and lost duels. Yevgeni flashes his speed in some situations, but his endurance leaves a lot to be desired, Razin commented.
The coach wants the ex-star to reach “even 75 percent of his own level”. So he was put on fitness classes under the supervision of the physical and skating coaches.
Kuznetsov has played only eight games in the KHL this season and scored 0+5 power points in them. He played his last NHL games in 2024.
In his NHL career, Kuznetsov scored 575 points in 743 games and won the Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals.