Top 3 burning questions as the Capitals enter the trade deadline

#2 What exactly is going on with Evgeny Kuznetsov?

Your guess is just as good as mine. We don't know much about what Evgeny Kuznetsov is going through but we do know that the assignment to Hershey doesn't quite mean he can suit up for the Bears yet. He's only allowed to practice with them for now until he's cleared by the NHLPA's evaluation of his care through the Player Assistance Program.

Brian MacLellan revealed just as much in his Saturday press conference with the media. Here's the quote via Tarik El-Bashir of Monumental Sports Network:

""They don't give us the details of the program or the post care instructions but he has certain things that he has to accomplish within that program, whatever they are, and if he stays in compliance with those restrictions, he gets to play.""

- Brian MacLellan via El-Bashir

MacLellan was also asked about the potential of a buyout and all he said was, "We'll cross that bridge when we get there. Right now we have the trade deadline on Friday so we're looking to see if we can make something happen before then and go from there."

That's not a lot on the surface but mental health is more important than scoring goals for Kuznetsov at this point in time as he has just six in 43 games. That is not 2018 playoff Kuzy which is what the Caps want on the ice.