Elliotte Friedman has just reported that teams are calling the Vancouver Canucks and inquiring about the availability of forward Andrei Kuzmenko. He’s played under 15 minutes in his last few games and has been sat twice. Friedman said the Canucks are looking to clear cap room and teams know it. “Teams are asking what their plans are with this particular player.”
This hasn’t been a strong season for Kuzmenko who scored 39 goals for the Canucks last season. He’s got only four goals in 24 games. He’s added 11 assists for 15 points. That’s not terrible production, but if the Canucks are contemplating changes, there are likely teams who would take a chance on his final season at $5.5 million. (he’s signed for this and next season).
Contending teams should be all over this if the Canucks have decided something is amiss with Kuzmenko. Head coach Rick Tocchet was annoyed with questions about the forward recently. When asked this week about Andrei Kuzmenko only getting three shifts in the 3rd: “I’m tired of answering questions about him. We came back, it worked out…Kuzy’s gotta…he’s gotta forecheck, let’s start with that.”
There is a disconnect there.
With just one point in his last eight games, Kuzmenko faces the looming possibility of being a healthy scratch again, having already been benched for two games in late November. Although he boasted a 26.8% shooting percentage last season and seemingly scored at will, Kuzmenko is experiencing a significant decline, especially for a Canucks team leading the league in total goals.
There’s Still Time For Kuzmenko To Turn Things Around With Canucks
While Kuzmenko might rediscover his scoring prowess later in the season, Tocchet’s concerns about his game primarily revolve around defensive play rather than scoring ability. To secure a spot in the lineup, Kuzmenko may need to shift his focus away from scoring, presenting a challenging dilemma for fantasy roster decisions at this juncture.
With strong defense and a focus on two-way hockey, the expectation is that the rest of his game will come along.
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