The Vancouver Canucks have won the Andrei Kuzmenko sweepstakes. They were among four finalists the KHL free agent visited last week.
There was a lot of interest in the Russian forward. He will be highly motivated to prove his game can translate to the NHL style of play.
Here’s what a NHL scout told me about Kuzmenko earlier this year: “Big, strong on the puck and can protect low. Not a lot of pace to his game … more half-ice player than a rush guy. He might be able to get some chemistry with higher-skilled guys.”
TSN NHL Insider, Chris Johnston
Kuzmenko, 26, has a Canucks salary cap hit of $925,000 but his AVV is $1,775,000. He will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2022-23 season.
