Washington Capitals: Kuznetsov set to return in an unexpected lineup slot

The Washington Capitals are getting Evgeny Kuznetsov back after a three-game suspension.

The Washington Capitals have gotten off to a nice start over their first three games, taking five of a possible six points in their first week of the 2019 regular season. This came despite facing three playoff teams, including two on the road and two on consecutive nights.

All three of these games took place with Lars Eller as the assumed interim second-line center while the Caps waited for the suspension of incumbent second-line center Evgeny Kuznetsov to play itself out.

Eller notched three assists during his elevated assignment and didn’t look out of place on the second line. The suspension is over but the first look at the Capitals lines with Kuznetsov back in the fray came with a surprise. He was on the third line, which means Eller is, at least for the time being, staying on the second line.

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While it is possible that this is just for one practice to get Kuznetsov back up to speed, this could become a more permanent arrangement if Eller continues to play well on the second line with Oshie and Vrana.

Moving Kuznetsov to the third line puts him with Carl Hagelin and Richard Panik, who are strong defensive players and will help cover up some of the defensive shortcomings of Washington’s talented Russian pivot man.

It remains to be seen if this arrangement has staying power, but Washington has looked good offensively in their first three games, as they have outshot their opponents in all three contests.

If the second line continues to carry its weight offensively without Kuznetsov, I wouldn’t be stunned to see head coach Todd Rierden continue to deploy this arrangement. Considering he should slide back onto the top power play unit, he’d still be getting a strong share of minutes to help power the Capitals offense.

It was an interesting thing to see but the more you think about, this deployment of Kuznetsov might make more sense than it did at first glance. We will see how this situation plays out as the Capitals prepare for their next game, a Tuesday night visit from the Dallas Stars who are still looking for their first win of the season.