Report: Nashville Predators Kicked Tires On Caps’ Evgeny Kuznetsov

The Nashville Predators, led by former Washington Capitals head coach Barry Trotz, are believed to have inquired into Capitals’ center Evgeny Kuznetsov, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported Saturday.

Talks have quieted down of late, according to Friedman.

Lots of talk around Nashville's interest in a centre. Believe there were conversations around Washington's Evgeny Kuznetsov — Barry Trotz sure knows him well — but those appear to have quieted down.

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) July 1, 2023

Kuznetsov, 31, is coming off a 55-point season — a down year, relative to his 78 points (24 goals, 54 assists) in 2021-22.

In May, it was reported that Kuznetsov was unhappy playing in Washington.

“He’s been wanting to change teams for a long time, he’s tired in Washington,” Sergei Fedotov, a purported friend of Kuznetsov’s, told sports.ru.

The Predators, who bought-out the final three seasons of Matt Duchene‘s contract on Friday, would have to acquire Kuznetsov via trade, but the team does have the requisite cap space to absorb the remainder of his contract — a $7.8 million cap hit in each of the next two seasons.

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