As noted in the offseason, the Capitals will not succeed if Evgeny Kuznetsov plays like he did in the 2018-19 and the 2019-20 season, when he struggled at both ends of the ice. Playoff success of any kind is often reliant upon depth up the middle - and with the way Kuznetsov played, the Caps lacked that center depth (to say nothing of the skill he was capable of bringing). So getting the Russian center back on track was one of the most important tasks awaiting the Capitals and new head coach Peter Laviolette this season.
Now that Kuznetsov has hit the 11-game mark, it seems appropriate to dissect how he’s doing and determine if he’s the same player from the last two years or if the Capitals are at least close to having their 2018 Stanley Cup-winning Kuznetsov back.