The Washington Capitals are sending not one but two players to the Sin City this weekend. Alex Ovechkin will captain the Metropolitan Division and Evgeny Kuznetsov got selected by the NHL as a replacement. Kuznetsov heads to his second NHL All Star Game and first since 2016. A lot has changed for the Caps and Kuznetsov since then.
Kuznetsov helped the Caps to their first Stanley Cup in 2018 which happened to end in five games in Las Vegas. After that his numbers dipped, some off ice issues surfaced, and suddenly he was in the middle of trade rumors. Not anymore.
Now we are watching Kuzy bounce back nicely on his revenge tour. Here are 3 predictions on what he’ll do on All Star weekend.
#3 Kuzy will come in third in Fastest Skater
Kuznetsov will compete tonight in the 2022 NHL All Star Skills Challenge in the Fastest Skater competition. As much as I adore Kuznetsov, he faces some stiff competition. He will go up against Kris Kreider of the New York Rangers, Adrian Kempe of the Los Angeles Kings, Kyle Connor of the Winnipeg Jets, Jordan Kyrou of the St. Louis Blues, Dylan Larkin of the Detroit Red Wings, Cale Maker of the Colorado Avalanche, and Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers,
I think McDavid will win but if Kuzy comes in third I consider that a success.