Written by Liam McGuire at Bloguin
The 2015-16 season is still in its infancy, but already we’ve seen several players jump out to hot starts. Here’s a quick look at a few players who have caught our attention in the early going with breakout performances.
Evgeny Kuznetsov
The former KHL sniper and top-rated prospect has been tremendous for the Washington Capitals to start 2015-16.
In his first full campaign, Kuznetsov played prominently with Troy Brouwer and Marcus Johansson. His offensive role wasn’t fully defined as he was still adjusting to the NHL. Now he’s had a full season under his belt, coach Barry Trotz is putting plenty of trust into the 23-year-old Russian, playing him on the Capitals top trio, on a line with Alex Ovechkin and TJ Oshie, a combination which has been great at even strength. The trio has posted positive possession numbers and is generating plenty of opportunities as Washington’s top unit. Kuznetsov is also seeing time on the second power play.
The Capitals are off to a Metropolitan-leading 8-2-0 start and sport a +11 goal differential, and Kuznetsov’s been an important part of the team’s offense. Look at this fake-pass move, in OT nonetheless.
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