Rumor: Kuznetsov to play at Olympics despite anti-doping violation.

It looked like Evgeny Kuznetsov's chance at an Olympic dream was over, but a new report out of Russia is claiming that the talented forward may yet be granted a second chance.

In August of 2019, the International Ice Hockey Federation announced that Kuznetsov had tested positive for cocaine use, a violation of their anti-doping rules, and as a result would be suspended for 4 years for international play. This ban covers any IIHF tournaments which include the World Championship and, most importantly of all from the players perspective, it also includes the Olympic Games.

This meant that not only would Kuznetsov be stripped of the Bronze Medal he was awarded for his performance at the 2019 World Championship, but he would also automatically be disqualified as a participant for the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, China. At the time of this writing Kuznetsov's ban would expire in 2023, but Russian news agency RIA Novosti is now reporting that may not be the case.

According to the outlet, Kuznetsov's case is currently being pleaded by high ranking members of the Russian national team, including former National Hockey League superstar Ilya Kovalchuk.

Translated from Russian and edited for clarity:

"The heads of the Russian national team in the form of Alexei Zhamnov and Ilya Kovalchuk are doing everything possible to resolve the situation with Kuznetsov. The FHR decides this issue at the highest government level. 80 percent that Kuznetsov will play at the Olympics," said a source as per RIA Novosti.

Both Kuznetsov and the Capitals were embarrassed at the time of the announcement, although the news came as little surprise. A video of Kuznetsov had already surfaced online showing him partying in a hotel with two lines of a white substance displayed on a table, a substance that many suspect was the same one that resulted in his ban.

That being said the incident was in 2019, a long time ago now, and if Kuznetsov has cleaned up his act I genuinely don't see what harm could come from letting him play at the Olympics in 2022. The Winter Olympics in Beijing are fast approaching, so they will need to act soon.