Coming into this season, there was talk of a potential extension for Andrei Kuzmenko after his strong finish to the 2023–24 season. There was also talk of potentially flipping him for a first-round draft pick at the trade deadline. Just a few months later, the Flames would be lucky to get anything for Kuzmenko at the deadline and Kuzmenko would be lucky to earn an NHL contract next year.
The 28-year-old is known for one thing on the ice: scoring goals. Unfortunately, his scoring has seemingly evaporated this campaign, leaving him ineffective as a player. It’s led to Kuzmenko watching from the press box multiple times, and fans are second-guessing his role on the team. So how bad has it been? Well, look away if you’re squeamish.
Kuzmenko’s pace has plummeted
As mentioned, Kuzmenko is known for scoring goals. Although his time in the NHL has been short, he’s been very effective at putting the puck in the net. Here’s how his previous two seasons compare to this one when it comes to scoring.
| Season | Goals | Goals/game | Goals/60 at 5v5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–23 | 39 | 0.48 | 1.23 |
| 2023–24 | 22 | 0.31 | 1.03 |
| 2024–25 | 1 | 0.03 | 0.00 |
Kuzmenko has gone from scoring nearly 40 goals just two years ago, to scoring a decent albeit unimpressive 22 goals last season, to sitting on one single goal this year through 30 games. No, that isn’t a typo. That one goal was on the power play as well, as he’s yet to register a single even strength goal this season after having a career average of over one goal per 60 minutes since he came to the NHL in 2022.
Goals from Kuzmenko are few and far between
Let’s emphasize the raw numbers, or rather, number. Across more than three months of the 2024–25 season, Andrei Kuzmenko—whose main role is to score goals—has just one goal. The Russian forward has found the net just one single time with the goal coming all the way back on October 15 in the Flames’ fourth game of the year. Since that game, Kuzmenko hasn’t scored a single goal.
| Goals | Flames rank | NHL rank | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andrei Kuzmenko | 1 | T-15th | T-517th |
Yes, Kuzmenko, who is paid over $5 million to score goals, currently ranks tied for 15th on the Flames in goals. He’s currently sitting tied with defenceman Tyson Barrie who has played nine games, and Jakob Pelletier who wasn’t even called up to the NHL until December 3. Kuzmenko is one of only two regular forwards on the Flames with only one goal right now. The other forward is Ryan Lomberg, who isn’t exactly known for his goalscoring prowess. For context, the gritty fourth liner has scored just 29 times in his entire NHL career. And yet he is one bounce away from doubling Kuzmenko’s goal total on the year.
League-wide, the story isn’t much prettier. Kuzmenko is currently in a heated 102-player tie at 517th in the NHL with one goal. For some further context, here are some of the players who have scored as many goals as Kuzmenko this season. Rookie Calum Ritchie who played seven games in the NHL this season, Declan Carlile, who has one NHL game this season, and Chris Tanev.
For some even more depressing context, here are some players who have scored more goals than Kuzmenko this season. Jonathan Drouin who has been limited to eight games due to injury, Nikita Chibrikov who has been limited to four games, and none other than Anthony Mantha who hasn’t played a game since November 5.
Kuzmenko’s currently scoring at a rate of just 0.03 goals per game, a total that ranks tied for 575th in the NHL with teammate Daniil Miromanov. Here’s another fun one. There have been 337 forwards who have played at least 30 games in the NHL this season. There are only two who have fewer goals than Kuzmenko: Zemgus Girgensons, and Cole Schwindt. There are only seven forwards in the NHL who have played more games and only scored one goal.
You can’t score if you don’t shoot
It’s not like Kuzmenko’s scoring woes are from a lack of trying. He’s not exactly peppering the other team’s goalies with shots either. So far through 30 games, Kuzmenko has just 31 shots on net, barely averaging one a game.
| Shots | Flames rank | NHL rank | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andrei Kuzmenko | 31 | 14th | T-496th |
Currently, Kuzmeko sits 14th on the Flames for shots, a total that is currently better than only Lomberg and Kevin Rooney among regular forwards on the Flames. Defensive depth defender Brayden Pachal currently has more shots than Kuzmenko with 38, as does depth defenceman Jake Bean.
Even more impressive is the fact that before Kuzmenko’s singular shot last night against the Predators, he had gone a whopping 35 days without a single shot on net. Yes, over a month of action without putting a single puck on the opposing team’s net. In that time, Kuzmenko had 84 shifts and over 70 minutes of ice time and didn’t manage to register as much as one shot on net. Not only is he not scoring right now, he’s not even generating shots either.
It’s time to move on
It’s clear the Kuzmenko experiment in Calgary is not going to work out. Despite a hot finish to his first season in Calgary, it’s clear that was more of a flash in the pan instead of reality. As we creep closer and closer to the trade deadline, it’s clear Kuzmenko won’t be a Flame much longer. He’ll either be dealt for whatever the Flames can get, or he’ll walk in free agency. It just doesn’t make sense to continue down this path much longer.
