The third European player and second Russian goes to a team that seems to love Russians, the Washington Capitals. Kuzenetsov is not going to wow you with his stats from last season, 9 points in 35 games, but he did look good in the Under 18 Championship and Under 20 Championships.
2010 NHL Draft 26th Pick: Washington Selects Evgeny Kuznetsov, Chelyabinsk Center
Jackets Cannon has some words about Kuznetsov
Kuznetsov is a highly talented Russian center currently playing for Traktor Chelyabinsk in the KHL. He is the exact definition of high-risk, high-reward. First, there’s the threat of either not coming over or bolting back to Russia if he doesn’t get his way. Then, there is the fact that he is one of the most inconsistent players in the draft. When he’s on- he’s explosive and can put up gobs of offense. The problem is, he’s not “on” as often as he needs to be. A team could get a superstar if he slips.
If that last line is true, the Capitals have the chance to get another superstar on their already loaded team.
For more information on this pick, please visit Japers’ Rink.
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