The fact that Evgeny Kuznetsov remains a Washington Capital with training camp underway is somewhat surprising considering the Russian was on the trade block this summer and officially requested a move.

It was always going to be difficult to deal the 31-year-old, as he's making over $7 million AAV for the next two years and is coming off one of the worst seasons of his career in 2022-23.

Still, Kuznetsov remains in the nation's capital, although he made it clear this week he is not overly happy with the franchise.

“It feels like in this organization those who want to be there are kicked out and those who don't want to be there are left behind,” Kuznetsov said in a bombshell interview with a Russian outlet.

The Stanley Cup champion also pointed to former head coach Peter Laviolette as part of the reason the team was unable to qualify for the postseason in 2023.

“You brought a coach who almost didn’t fit our style,” Kuznetsov told general manager Brian MacLellan at the end of the season.

That was right around the time he officially asked for a trade out of Washington. However, Kuznetsov is reportedly happy with new coach Spencer Carbery.

“He's a great person,” he said of his new coach. “I feel like the way he sees hockey, it's a perfect match for me. He wants to control the game, he wants to hold onto the puck, I'm a big fan of that. There's a lot of positivity in my head when I talk to him. The most important: he was very honest with me, and I was very honest with him, too.”

Despite what was undoubtably a long summer for Evgeny Kuznetsov, it looks like he is back on board with Carbery replacing Laviolette in 2023-24. Kuzy scored just 12 goals and 55 points while registering a career-worst minus-26 last season.

This team will struggle to make the playoffs unless Kuznetsov returns to form, and although there is still a chance he gets traded, it looks like the Russian star is focused on getting back to his old self in his 11th season in Washington.