One of the big issues with judging Kuznetsov's "compete level" from the couch is how easy he makes the game look. Like
@kicksavedave said on the first page of this thread, fans tend to want every player to look like they're hustling like Jay Beagle out there. When they don't see that, they assume a player isn't trying their hardest, and they resent the player as a result. The issue arises when a player doesn't have to pump his legs and churn the same way to get around the ice quickly. When a player has what scouts describe as an "effortless stride" (which is usually viewed as a good thing), the fans may end up assuming a player isn't giving their full effort. This was one of the issues fans had with Mike Green, as well. Prior to his groin injuries, Green's skating stride was so fluid and effortless than fans just assumed he wasn't skating hard. The same happens to Kuznetsov at times. I remember Alan May raving on broadcasts about Kuzy's ability to accelerate without even having to lift his feet (similar to what figure skaters would refer to as a "swizzle" or a "two foot pull") during Kuzy's first couple years in the league. If you look at Kuzy's 4-on-4 goal in Game 4 against the Islanders from last year's playoffs, you can see a textbook example of this. He takes a grand total of one stride from the red line onwards, yet he blows by multiple Islanders with enough acceleration and power to corner around the D and drive the net. When a player makes things look easy, fans don't often see the things they expect a player whos working hard to be doing.
You also see something similar with general NHL fans and Ovechkin. So many hockey fans will claim Ovie "floats" and doesn't try, and I think it's because of how often Ovechkin is standing straight up, as opposed to being in an "athletic stance."
Using coaches opinions of players can provide some insight, but it's also not infallible. First off, always deferring to the coach would lead to a pretty boring discussion board, as there would be nothing really to discuss. But more importantly, coaches are humans too. They have their own motivations, their own disciplinary tactics, their own biases, and their own flaws. Sometimes coaches don't put players in a position to succeed (consciously or not). See the Jeff Skinner situation in Buffalo, for instance. Krueger is playing Skinner alongside grinders and checkers in a 4th line energy role, when that's not nor has it ever been Skinner's game. Skinner signed in Buffalo to play alongside Eichel and to score goals, and for the past decade Skinner has been one of the better goal scorers in the league. Krueger didn't put Skinner in a position to succeed, and it's not working as a result. Not that Skinner should have a blank check, but when you put a player in a position they will fail, you can't act surprised when they fail. A Canes fan had a great post about in this the relevant thread on the main boards.