The Los Angeles Kings provided a pleasant surprise last season with the addition of forward Andrei Kuzmenko.
After the trade with the Philadelphia Flyers, the team caught a spark when he joined the lineup, and they seemed to feed off of his energy. A new contract has him back in Los Angeles, and he is seeking more offensive production on the top line when the new season begins.
Kuzmenko has played with four teams in four seasons, but he seems to have found a home with the Kings. He fits in perfectly with Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe, his teammates on the first line. They feed off each other, and this lets Kuzmenko play his game to the best of his ability. He has stepped up his game and has been outstanding since arriving in Los Angeles. Kuzmenko has provided a spark on the power play, and the Kings have gone from a 15% successive rate on the man advantage to a 23.9% successive rate all since his debut.
With the Kings, he has five goals and 12 assists for 17 points in 20 games, not to mention he also has two penalty minutes, one game-winning goal, and a shooting percentage of 16.1%. His play has been successful in the postseason, recording three goals and three assists for six points in six playoff games.
The Kings needed a right-hand shot point producer, and they got both with Kuzmenko.
Los Angeles gave up little to get him as they gave the Flyers third-round pick for Kuzmenko and a seventh-round pick with the Flyers picking up 50% of his salary.
Say what you want about former GM Rob Blake, but this move was genius.
Kuzmenko played so well for the Kings that new GM Ken Holland rewarded him with a new one-year deal with an average annual value (AAV) of $4.3 million.
Not only did he produce on the ice, but the Kings went 12-5-3 with him in the lineup. He brings energy and a scoring punch to this tea,m so signing him to a new deal was a no-brainer.
Look for his magic to continue with Los Angeles, regardless of what line he plays on.
He is one to keep an eye on as the Kings’ success next season may rely on what he does on the ice.
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