Despite the Calgary Flames playing well as of late, their inability to score has been a major drawback. One player who has been absolutely snakebit right now is Andrei Kuzmenko.
Kuzmenko hasn’t scored a goal in 18 games and has managed to find the back of the net only once. He’s been by far one of the most disappointing players to start the season for the Flames, and it’s time to take the consequences one step further.
It’s time for Kuzmenko to sit in the press box
In a season where accountability is important, the Flames need to realize that they need to give Kuzmenko a bigger wake-up call. Therefore, a game or two in the press box may be the final thing that gets him going.
The 28-year-old forward has already seen his ice time decrease, and he’s also been benched numerous times due to his poor play. Still, the message doesn’t seem to be clear enough for Kuzmenko’s play to drastically improve. His poor start to the season has been quite the shock, being the complete opposite of how he started his tenure in Calgary.
Flames fans know how Kuzmenko plays when he’s on his game. When he arrived in Calgary, he scored at a 40-goal pace and was a great addition to the Flames’ top six and special team units. As for this season, Kuzmenko is still getting offensive chances, but his finishing ability has completely gone out the window. It’s a concern considering that goalscoring and offence are Kuzmenko’s biggest assets as a player.
Kuzmenko’s trade value is low for the Flames right now
I know we keep beating a dead horse, but the expectation is that Kuzmenko is gone by the trade deadline. However his disappointing play is severely hurting his trade value right now.
Despite Kuzmenko being a pending UFA, his contract is still hefty as he carries a $5.5 million cap hit. The Flames could still retain salary to get a better return, but that’s only if Kuzmenko’s numbers improve.
There’s still hope that Kuzmenko gets it together and goes on a heater near the deadline, but with the way he’s trending, it could be a rough season. Despite Kuzmenko being a great personality and a fan favourite, one thing is for certain: a contract extension would make absolutely zero sense.
