As if Sergei Shumakov hadn’t heard enough about how difficult it would be to move from the Kontinental Hockey League to the NHL, the first hang-up came before he even arrived in Washington. The visa process dragged, and he missed the first two days of Capitals training camp, putting him a bit behind everyone else on the ice.
Then there was the issue of the language barrier, so Coach Todd Reirden grouped Shumakov with other Russians in practice sessions. They served as interpreters, explaining certain drills or showing him around the practice facility.
It was all a whirlwind, one that Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov, a friend of Shumakov’s since they were 5 years old and playing together for their hometown club in Chelyabinsk, had already experienced four years ago. After helping convince Shumakov, a 26-year-old forward, to sign with Washington, Kuznetsov warned him of the tough road ahead.
“The language, the game, the lifestyle, the mentality — it’s not easy when you’re 26 and you have to change everything in your life,” Kuznetsov said. “Some people need it, some people don’t need it. The good thing for him is we have a lot of Russian guys on the team and we can really help him, and I really feel like our organization has the time to give him a chance to understand everything and they’re not going to force 17 goals right away in one game.”
Shumakov had 17 goals and 23 assists in 47 games for CSKA Moscow last season, and he held out from the club’s training camp to force the termination of his contract. Once Kuznetsov heard rumors that the Capitals were interested, he called Shumakov and his agent, just in case Washington brass needed any extra help with their sales pitch. Shumakov’s camp acknowledged it was talking to several NHL clubs, to which Kuznetsov replied: “What do you mean a couple teams? It’s only one team.” Shumakov signed a one-year contract with a $925,000 cap hit Sept. 1.
“I think every hockey player wants to try playing in this league and for a team like the Capitals,” Shumakov said in Russian. “I didn’t even have to think about it.”
But with Shumakov exempt from waivers and on a two-way deal that pays him less if he is in the American Hockey League, there is a chance he doesn’t make the opening-night NHL roster. Washington returned the vast majority of its lineup coming off its first Stanley Cup championship, so there is no natural spot for Shumakov to step into. The Capitals were intrigued by the scoring touch that the right-shot left wing displayed in the KHL, but the team is keeping expectations reasonable because that doesn’t always translate to North American hockey, where the ice surface is smaller, making the game faster and more physical. General Manager Brian MacLellan acknowledged the organization isn’t sure what it has in Shumakov yet.
“What will be, will be,” Shumakov said. “I’m not planning to go back to Russia for now.”
“If you’re going to give him a lot of time to feel comfortable and to understand the game, he can play very well in this league,” Kuznetsov said.
With his late arrival to training camp, Shumakov won’t play in Tuesday’s preseason home opener against Boston at Capital One Arena, and it’s unlikely he will make his debut Thursday against Montreal in Quebec City, either. The Capitals have a vacancy at fourth-line center, but they return all of their wingers from the Stanley Cup finals. They will find room for Shumakov if he impresses in training camp.
“I think to be fair and to set him up for success, we’ve got to continue to work with him and show him some system stuff,” Reirden said. “It’s something new for him, and he’s excited about it. There’s a little bit of a learning curve from that standpoint, but also just with the English and stuff; we’re working through that as well. I would not expect to see him for another few games until we get him up to speed.
“For me, it’s all about setting him up for success here and giving him the best opportunity to help us.”
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