Tom Wilson is attending the annual BioSteel camp for NHL players in Toronto this week, and was asked about the Evgeny Kuznetsov situation.
The IIHF suspended Kuznetsov from international play for four years after Kuznetsov tested positive for cocaine.
“We’re going to have his back,” Wilson told Sportsnet. “Hopefully he can get through it. It’s never something you like to see in the media, but I’m sure he’ll learn. He’ll grow as a person and a player. We’re focused on Capitals. Whatever happens with the international stuff, it’s none of our business."
The NHL does not suspend players for recreational drugs — only performance-enhancing drugs — and the league designates cocaine as a recreational drug. The league does, however, still test for cocaine and other drugs at least twice a year. If there are “dangerously high” levels of a drug, the league directly contacts the player to ask if he needs help.
The only way testing positive for recreational drugs on a test would automatically lead to a suspension would be if the player had previously been convicted of a drug-related offense. If a player is convicted, he is automatically enrolled in the NHL’s substance abuse program. If a player tests positive for any drugs during his time in the program, then he is in violation of the program and is suspended.
Kuznetsov will meet with Gary Bettman before training camp begins to discuss whether further action will be taken. The NHL's collective bargaining agreement allows Bettman to suspend players for off-ice conduct "detrimental to or against the welfare of the league or the game of hockey," but it's unlikely that Kuznetsov would be given such a suspension. The CBA's wording is incredibly broad, and a suspension would surely be challenged by the NHLPA, especially given that players in similar situations have not been given such a suspension before.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen,” Wilson said of the upcoming meeting. “It’s kind of a sticky situation, but I’m sure it’ll all be handled. If he’s in a Caps uniform Game 1, he’ll play. If not, we’ll deal with it.”
Wilson also spoke to TSN about Kuznetsov.
“He’s a great teammate and it’s unfortunate," he said. "I know he takes a lot of pride in playing for his country, so wishing him the best with resolving the situation. And obviously, we’re just focused on the Capitals and whatever happens there. We’ll have his back.”
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