Evgeny Kuznetsov makes a surprising comment on Alex Ovechkin's pursuit of Wayne Gretzky's record

After spending 11 years with the Capitals, Kuznetsov returned to his home country of Russia, now playing in the KHL following a rocky departure from the NHL team that drafted him 26th overall in 2010.

In a recent interview, Kuznetsov discussed one of the biggest stories in the NHL this season: Ovechkin's quest to break Gretzky's goal-scoring record.

Ovechkin, now 38 years old, is just 41 goals away from tying Gretzky's record. With two seasons remaining on his contract and a strong 31-goal performance last season, it looks likely that he'll reach the milestone.

Kuznetsov also believes Ovechkin can do it. In an interview shared by Russian Machine Never Breaks, Kuznetsov expressed hope that Ovechkin will reach the record soon so he can finally stop "suffering":

Kuznetsov's comment suggests that the constant questions and pressure might be weighing on Ovechkin.

With the 2024-25 season just over a month away, fans are eagerly waiting to see Ovechkin back on the ice, doing what he does best: scoring goals.

Source: Russian Machine Never Breaks
Evgeny Kuznetsov wants Alex Ovechkin to break Wayne Gretzky's goal record this season 'so that he won't suffer anymore'

Source for Alex Ovechkin's statistics: NHL.com