Former NHL player reveals reason for entering NHL player assistance program

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Ryan Hall
August 4, 2024 (8:07)

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Former NHLer Evgeny Kuznetsov revealed in a recent interview why he entered the NHL player assistance program.

The former Washington capitals forward explained in an interview with SportsExpress that he had rheumatoid arthritis which plagued him for the entire year. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that cripples a person's joints which causes swelling, stiffness and a loss of function.

"I had rheumatoid arthritis," Kuznetsov said, per a DeepL translation. "I was taking pills and shots all year... I couldn't sleep for a year; I could only get two hours a night. I'm not one to complain, but I had to, and no one really believed me. (General manager) Brian MacLellan didn't even know that I had been suffering all year."

This is not the first time that he has entered the program as in 2019 as he tested positive for the use of cocaine. He was waived by the capitals and then traded to the Carolina Hurricanes.

Since leaving the program, he has decided to leave the NHL and signed a new four-year contract with the KHL SKA Saint Petersburg to which he walked away from a $6 million salary that he was owed as he was in his final year of his $64.2 million deal in the NHL.

"I hope (issues don't follow me to Russia). There are different reasons as to why certain things happen in life," Kuznetsov said. "One of them is motivation and understanding what responsibility I have. One mistake can disappoint a lot of people."

There has been no mention of how much salary he will be paid from the Kontinental Hockey League.

Source: The Hockey News

Kuznetsov Opens Up About Health Problems With Capitals & Why He Entered Player Assistance Program: 'I'd Been Suffering All Year'

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