The Vancouver Canucks have won the Andrei Kuzmenko sweepstakes.
The Canucks have been heavily linked to the the 26-year-old KHL star for months. Kuzmenko himself confirmed that he chosen to sign with Vancouver on his Instagram page.
Andrei Kuzmenko has chosen the #Canucks, according to his instagram page. pic.twitter.com/7yK2EBggdh
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) June 20, 2022
Vancouver was one of the many teams that were interested in Kuzmenko. Other teams that were interested included the Edmonton Oilers, Vegas Golden Knights, Carolina Hurricanes, and Nashville Predators.
Kuzmenko visited Vancouver this past week and it was the last stop of his NHL city tour. It turns out, he and his camp were impressed. It looked like Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin and head coach Bruce Boudreau really impressed him with a earlier meeting in Michigan.
Bruce Boudreau drove 6 hours for a meeting in Ann Arbor, Michigan with Kuzmenko last Friday.
— Rick Dhaliwal (@DhaliwalSports) June 20, 2022
Patrik Alvin drove for 4.5 hours for that meeting too.
Kuzmenko was impressed.
As for the contract, the terms have not been confirmed yet. His agent Dan Milstein says that will be worked out soon.
Confirming Andrey Kuzmenko’s intent to sign with Vancouver Canucks. Contract details to be worked out soon. #WeAreGoldStar!
— Dan Milstein-Hockey (@HockeyAgent1) June 20, 2022
According to PuckPedia, Kuzmenko must sign a one-year entry level contract. Here is what the maximum details he can sign for.
Kuzmenko must sign a 1 year Entry Level Deal & then UFA next summer
— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) June 20, 2022
Contract details to come, but on Entry Level Deal, max he can sign for is:
832.5K NHL Salary
92.5K Signing Bonus
80K Minors Salary
850K "A" Performance Bonuses
2M "B" PB'shttps://t.co/wqDqKXnEF8 https://t.co/UNKe7n82Jn
“Andrei felt right about Vancouver,” said Milstein per Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK TV. “He had a good connection with Canucks management especially the GM. He is excited about joining Vancouver, the contract will get done over the next few days.”
Kuzmenko has spent the last four seasons with SKA St. Petersburg. There, he played three seasons with Vasily Podkolzin.
This past season, Kuzmenko managed 20 goals and 33 assists in 47 games. In 16 playoff games, he got seven goals and seven assists.
Kuzmenko is a 5’11”, 194 pound, right-handed left winger. DobberProspects describes the Russian as “an elite-level skater with tremendous playmaking ability a true fantasy boom-or-bust.”
The big question now is: Can Kuzmenko translate his game from the KHL to the NHL? He is expected to play in the Canucks top-six next season.
Apparently, Kuzmenko will be just the 19th Russian player to play for the Canucks.
Kuzmenko will become just the 19th Russian player to play for the #Canucks pic.twitter.com/OkTfufjiUc
— Rob Williams (@RobTheHockeyGuy) June 20, 2022
Update at 2PM: The team made it official.
General Manager Patrik Allvin and NHL Agent Dan Milstein, jointly confirm that Andrei Kuzmenko has committed to play for the Vancouver Canucks.
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) June 20, 2022
DETAILS | https://t.co/qZaHq6Q1Kd pic.twitter.com/b9hL0Uk5JW
“I have been watching Andrei since his 2014.15 season and have been impressed with his development and improvement on the ice,” said Allvin in the press release. “Once the contract details are finalized, we look forward to welcoming him to the Canucks organization and helping him continue to grow as a hockey player.”
Kuzmenko is eligible to sign on July 13.
What do you think about Kuzmenko signing with the Canucks? Let us know in the comments below, in the Facebook comments, or on Twitter.