Report: Kuznetsov will 'mostly likely play' for Russia at Winter Olympics despite suspension
Despite a suspension from playing in international hockey tournaments that doesn't end until 2023, a report out of Russia states Evgeny Kuznetsov will likely represent Russia at the Winter Olympics coming up in February.
"Evgeny Kuznetsov will most likely play for the Russian national team at the Olympic Games in Beijing, a source familiar with the situation told RIA Novosti .
Just how Kuznetsov is getting around the ban isn't exactly clear, but it has been reported that the Russian Hockey Federation has been pleading its case for some time now.
"The headquarters of the Russian national team in the persons of Alexei Zhamnov and Ilya Kovalchuk is doing everything possible to correctly resolve the situation with Kuznetsov. The FHR decides this issue at the highest government level. 80 percent that Kuznetsov will play at the Olympics," RIA Novosti quotes a source as saying.
In August of 2019, the International Ice Hockey Federation announced that it had suspended Kuznetsov for four years after testing positive for cocaine use while taking part in the World Hockey Championship. He was stripped of his 2019 World Championship bronze medal as a result. The NHL subsequently suspended Kuznetsov for three games. This was after after video surfaced on social media that showed Kuznetsov and another man sitting at a table that appeared to have lines of cocaine on it.
Russia cannot compete under its official team banner at the 2022 Olympics due to a previous doping scandal. It will most likely compete under the Russian Olympic Committee title, shortened to R.O.C.
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Brandon Hagel | - | 5 | 5 | |
| Sebastian Aho | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| Nico Hischier | 3 | - | 3 | |
| Macklin Celebrini | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Jakob Chychrun | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Seth Jarvis | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Nikita Kucherov | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Zachary Bolduc | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Will Cuylle | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Lars Eller | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Jake Guentzel | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Alex Iafallo | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Ivan Ivan | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Ivan Barbashev | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Drake Batherson | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Simon Edvinsson | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jack Eichel | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Morgan Frost | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Shayne Gostisbehere | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Miro Heiskanen | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 21 | 17 | 4 | - | 34 | |
Wild | 20 | 13 | 3 | 4 | 30 | |
Devils | 23 | 14 | 7 | 2 | 30 | |
Hurricanes | 20 | 14 | 5 | 1 | 29 | |
Golden Knights | 21 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 28 | |
Maple Leafs | 21 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 28 | |
Capitals | 20 | 13 | 6 | 1 | 27 | |
Flames | 21 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 27 | |
Stars | 19 | 13 | 6 | - | 26 | |
Rangers | 19 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 25 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||