The old Evgeny Kuznetsov was exhilarating. The new one is exasperating.

Signing players to expensive, long-term deals carries inherent risk. You’re betting on the physical ability for sure, but you’re also betting on the human. In the fall of 2017, after MacLellan granted Kuznetsov a deal that runs through 2024-25, he acknowledged exactly that: “If he’s good, I’m good. If he’s not, it was nice meeting you guys.”