'Why not sign two years?:' Vancouver Canucks winger Kuzmenko happy with extension
It's little wonder Andrei Kuzmenko captured the hearts of Vancouver Canucks fans so quickly.
In a season marked by loss and frustration, the Russian forward with the dimpled grin, gravity defying hair and enthusiastic goal celebrations has been a rare bright spot both on and off the ice.
And after signing a two-year extension, that bright spot is sticking around.
“I am happy in Vancouver. Why not sign to two years? I think is a good deal for two sides,” Kuzmenko said Friday.
The deal carries an average-annual value of US$5.5 million.
The 26-year-old left-winger said he left all negotiations up to his agent, Dan Millstein.
“Yesterday, my agent calls me. 'Andrei, let's go.' I say 'OK, no problem. I trust you. Is not my work, is your work. I am just hockey player,'” Kuzmenko said, flashing his wide smile.
The five-foot-11, 194-pound forward has been a standout for the Canucks (19-26-3) this season, his first in the NHL, finding chemistry on a line with star centre Elias Pettersson. In 47 games, Kuzmenko has registered 21 goals and 22 assists.
He was tied with defenceman Quinn Hughes for third on the team in scoring heading into a Friday night matchup with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
“He's very offensively talented, he's got a lot of skill, he makes plays,” Pettersson said. “And obviously we thrive off each other.”
A native of Yakutsk, Russia, Kuzmenko spent his first eight professional seasons in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) with CSKA Moscow and SKA St. Petersburg, registering 200 points (85-115-200) in 315 regular season games. He set career-highs in goals (20), assists (33), and points (53) last season, ranking second in the league in scoring.
It was evident in training camp that the new addition had a lot to offer the Canucks, said captain Bo Horvat.
“You could tell right from the beginning that he had a lot of skill,” Horvat said. “Whether it translated to the NHL or not, it was going to be up to him. And he obviously handled it the right way.
“Him and Petey have really good chemistry and have played really well together. And they need to continue that for the rest of the season, for sure.”
Kuzmenko leads all first-year NHLers in almost every offensive category, including goals, assists, points, points per game (0.91), power-play goals, and power-play points.
He has also produced 14 multi-point games so far this season (second-most on the Canucks), highlighted by his first NHL hat-trick and season-high four-point game against Anaheim on Nov. 3.
While he's impressed on the scoresheet there's room for Kuzmenko's game to grow, said Vancouver's newly minted head coach Rick Tocchet.
“He's a very skilled guy; he can score. We're excited that we have him,” said Tocchet, noting that coaches will continue to work with the Russian forward on his habits and defensive game.
“There's work to do with him to be a complete player but the one thing is he can score. And we're excited about that.”
At least one teammate believes Kuzmenko has room for improvement off the ice, too. Asked what he thinks of the Russian's long, wild hair, Horvat was blunt.
“It's terrible,” he said. “I've seen a lot of comments saying now he can afford a haircut. He's got to do something with it because it's getting out of hand.”
The critique is nothing new to Kuzmenko.
“A lot of people say `Please change haircut.' I know, I know,” he said. “Maybe after season. Why not?”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 27, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.