A big, physical defender, Kuznetsov plays a simple game and minimizes his risks. While he keeps his feet moving and has solid crossovers and backwards stride, his skating is average, though he should be able to improve it with the proper training.  While he is a solid defender, he could improve his positioning in his own end and better keep opponents away from his net. He uses his stick and body well and plays with intelligence and poise. When getting the puck out of his zone, his passing and dumps are efficient, and he can pivot/turn to buy himself time before completing an outlet pass. He constantly delivers crisp passes in all three zones and will use the boards to avoid passing into traffic. An efficient outlet passer, he thrives at completing accurate lateral passes along the blue line. In addition, he showcases good speed to the boards along the blue line when he is trying to keep the puck in the zone. He is adept at keeping his feet moving while hovering over the blue line in anticipation of his opponent starting a rush. He has an accurate shot from the point and looks to create rebounds up front for his teammates to pounce on. He plays a very gritty game and always ready to execute a check. While he likes to play physically, he needs to work on his discipline to not take bad penalties that hurt his team.

– FCHockey’s 2020 NHL Draft Guide