Evgeny Kuznetsov has been at the latest stop in his pro career, the KHL\u2019s Salavat Yulaev, for over a month now. The team is the 33-year-old center\u2019s fifth in the last three seasons, after prior time spent in the NHL with the Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes and stints in Russia with SKA Saint Petersburg and Metallurg Magnitogorsk.<\/p>\n
Given how his time at those four prior destinations ended in varying tumultuous ways, the thought of Kuznetsov soon calling it a wrap on his playing days isn\u2019t a tremendously strange idea. However, the 2018 Stanley Cup champion believes he has plenty of gas left in the tank, recently telling Sport-Express\u2019 Alexey Shevchenko<\/a>, as long as he can avoid one primary obstacle.<\/p>\n \u201cI can play as much as I want,\u201d Kuznetsov said<\/a>, as translated via Google Translate. \u201cThe main thing is to have fewer idiots around.\u201d<\/p>\n Kuznetsov explained that he\u2019ll always prioritize personal happiness when deciding where he wants to play.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s important to come in with a smile so there\u2019s laughter in the locker room,\u201d Kuznetsov said. \u201cI have a clear line: when the game preparation begins, all the silliness goes away. During the match, there\u2019s emotion, but before the game, I don\u2019t bother anyone or distract them.\u201d<\/p>\n At Kuznetsov\u2019s prior stop in the KHL this season, with Metallurg, he was in near-constant conflict with head coach Andrei Razin. Razin consistently criticized Kuznetsov\u2019s fitness level<\/a>, making the veteran forward a regular healthy scratch.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s clear that Zhenya is very weak functionally,\u201d Razin\u00a0told Match TV after Kuznetsov\u2019s Metallurg debut<\/a>, as translated via Google Translate. \u201cThere were moments when we were locked down in the second period. His physicality was evident there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAt the moment, Kuznetsov is in very poor physical shape, which is resulting in a bunch of losses, a bunch of lost duels,\u201d Razin later said in November,\u00a0per Nikita Nadezhin<\/a>.<\/p>\n There were early signs that Kuznetsov\u2019s relationship with Razin was deteriorating quickly, as during a late October game, Kuznetsov left Metallurg\u2019s bench mid-game and watched the rest in street clothes<\/a>. Soon after that game, Razin was asked why Metallurg signed Kuznetsov after he had missed the entire KHL preseason, and delivered a winding, strange, and very blunt response.<\/p>\n