Four days after it was announced that Evgeny Kuznetsov was suspended by the IIHF for testing positive for cocaine, Washington Capitals power forward Tom Wilson spoke on the situation at the BioSteel Camp on Tuesday.
Wilson made it clear that he and his teammates support Kuznetsov in hopes of cleaning up his image.
"I don't know too many of the details, Wilson told TSN's Mark Masters. "I just heard what you heard. He's a great teammate and it's unfortunate. I know he takes a lot of pride in playing for his country."
"Wishing him the best with resolving his situation and obviously we're just focused on the Capitals and whatever happens there."
"We'll have his back."
The NHL doesn't view cocaine as a performance-enhancing substance, so the NHL will not be disciplining Kuznetsov. He will take a substance-abuse education and counselling program put on by the NHL and NHLPA, and will meet with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman before the seasons starts.
On the international stage, the 27-year-old Russian has won gold at the World Junior and World Championship level.
He would be ineligible to play at the 2022 Winter Olympics should the NHL allow their players to participate, but could play in the rumoured 2021 World Cup of Hockey since the IIHF does not govern the tournament.
Kuznetsov is coming off a 72-point campaign (21 goals, 51 assists) last season, the third-highest point total of his six-year career.
