Andrei Kuzmenko's future with Calgary Flames in limbo per new report
Andrei Kuzmenko broke into the NHL with a bang in 2022-23 and scored 39 goals with the Vancouver Canucks after signing as a free agent from Russia, but lost his touch the year after.
43 games into his second season with Vancouver, Kuzmenko had only scored 8 goals which prompted a trade to the Calgary Flames. He regained his scoring touch in the final stretch of last season, scoring 14 goals in 29 games with Calgary. However, according to a new report from The Hockey Writers, his future with the team will depend on his play early on next season.
If the Flames can become comfortable with Kuzmenko's 200 foot game, they would be comfortable offering the 29 year old forward a long term contract extension. If the Flames don't see him as a long-term piece for the team, he will be made available for trade as a pending free agent.
According to Spotrac, Kuzmenko is in the final year of his contract that pays him only $5.5M, a manageable amount for a contending team to take on in a trade.
Kuzmenko being available for trade would seem to be the most likely outcome, considering that he won't become a defensive player and the Flames will not have use for him as a rebuilding team. For any team looking to add a real scoring threat to their top-six, Kuzmenko could be an incredible trade deadline addition.
Source for Kuzmenko stats: HockeyDB
| POLL | ||
Do you think the Calgary Flames will trade Andrei Kuzmenko next year? | ||
| Yes | 96 | 77.4 % |
| No | 23 | 18.5 % |
| See Results | 5 | 4 % |
| List of polls | ||
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