Andrei Kuzmenko drew a bidding war when he was looking to come over to the NHL a few years ago. The Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers were the front runners, and the forward eventually chose to sign with the Canucks.
In his first NHL season in 2022–23, Kuzmenko was lights out with 74 points in 81 games. He signed a two-year, $5.5M AAV extension with the Canucks after a rockstar start to his NHL career. However, the 2023–24 season didn’t start off as planned. Kuzmenko had 21 points in 43 games as a Canuck and was beginning to be labeled as a bad cap hit. He waived his 12-team no-trade clause and was included in the Canucks package to acquire Elias Lindholm from the Flames.
Kuzmenko was a breath of fresh air when he arrived in Calgary. He finished off the 2023–24 campaign with 14 goals and 25 points in 29 games as a Flame. The story quickly changed from Kuzmenko being a cap dump to some Flames fans thinking the team needed to extend him.
Shifting to 2024–25, the narrative changed again. Kuzmenko has been in and out of the Flames lineup. He has yet to score an even-strength goal for the Flames this year. He has two goals and 11 points in 33 games. When a player like him isn’t scoring, there isn’t much use. And the Flames coaching staff hasn’t been using him.
Kuzmenko likely headed back to the KHL
A source tells The Win Column that Kuzmenko is likely headed back to the KHL following the 2024–25 season. The decision isn’t finalized yet. Kuzmenko would welcome a change of scenery to prove he belongs in the NHL still. But it’s likely he will fetch a much larger paycheque overseas compared to what NHL teams will offer him this summer. With the off-and-on behaviour exhibited, teams will likely only offer one-year deals in the NHL.
Sometimes, a player is just better suited playing hockey elsewhere. Kuzmenko popped off when the systems were more carefree in Vancouver in 2022–23 and Calgary in 2023–24. When the games were more competitive and mattered, Kuzmenko struggled. He is not a functional player in a more defensive and checking system.
Look for the Flames to see if they can give Kuzmenko a fresh start at the trade deadline in return for a small asset. Both the team and the player would benefit from a change. It’s unclear what the interest levels will be given his $5.5M AAV, but maybe a team like the Nashville Predators or Buffalo Sabres take a shot on him to fix their scoring woes.
