Teams are calling on the 26 year old who is in a unique situation. He has a $950,000 cap hit and is a pending UFA and the end of the season. Vancouver need to decide if they can sign Kuzmenko or cash in on what should be premium value for the player.
Hockey Insider Frank Seravalli took a look at the situation with F Andrei Kuzmenko, and gave some comparables for his next contract. He mentions Andre Burakovsky (5 x 5.5), Josh Bailey (6 x 5) and Valeri Nichushkin (8 x 6.125)
Kuzmenko is having a strong first season in the NHL with 17 goals and 35 points in 39 games. He played eight seasons in the KHL before making the transition to North America. In those eight seasons he wasn't over a point per game player until the 2021-2022 season where he scored 20 goals and 53 points in 45 games.
Those seem like fair numbers reported by Seravalli. If I were a GM I don't think I could go longer than six years when you factor in his age, point per game average, and thin NHL resume.
POLL | ||
JANVIER 19 | 35 ANSWERS Insider reveals just how much money Vancouver Canucks rookie is after on his next deal Do you think the Canucks trade or sign Andrei Kuzmenko? | ||
Traded | 13 | 37.1 % |
Signed to a long term deal | 11 | 31.4 % |
Signed to a short term deal | 11 | 31.4 % |
List of polls |