When the Washington Capitals inked Evgeny Kuznetsov to a eight-year, $64-million extension two summers ago, General Manager Brian MacLellan believed he could evolve into a Russian superstar like Alex Ovechkin.
In the first year of that deal where Kuznetsov will make $7.8 million annually, he scored 27 goals and added 56 assists for 83 points. Okay, so far so good.
In the playoffs, Kuznetsov came up clutch time after time. Leading the Capitals with 32 points, Kuznetsov created offense on the top line next to Alex Ovechkin and Tom Wilson.