Snapshots: Kuzmenko, Strome, Connor, Pearson, Capitals Arena

It has been a rough start to Andrei Kuzmenko’s sophomore season.  The 27-year-old had 39 goals last season but has been limited to just four in his first 25 games of the year.  He has been a healthy scratch at times and has lined up recently on the fourth line as well, fueling trade speculation.  Speaking with Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre, Canucks president Jim Rutherford indicated that they’re keeping an open mind with Kuzmenko and not locking themselves into just one answer when asked about their willingness to let the winger play his way out of his struggles.  Kuzmenko is in the first season of a two-year contract that carries a $5.5MM AAV; Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported over the weekend (video link) that teams had started calling Vancouver to gauge Kuzmenko’s availability.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

• There will be no supplemental discipline coming to Ducks center Ryan Strome from his hit on Jets winger Kyle Connor, reports Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press (Twitter link). Strome received a major penalty on the play, one that was upheld after review.  Meanwhile, Connor was slated to undergo an MRI today to determine the extent of the injury.  Connor is off to a great start to his season with 17 goals and 11 assists in 26 games, leading Winnipeg in scoring while being tied for fourth in the NHL in goals.
• Following their loss to Nashville last night, the Canadiens announced that winger Tanner Pearson will miss the next four to six weeks with an upper-body injury that was sustained on Saturday against Buffalo. The 31-year-old is in his first season with Montreal after missing almost of all 2022-23 with a hand injury that required several surgeries.  Pearson has four goals and four assists in 27 games so far this year.
• A group of Virginia state lawmakers voted Monday for a deal that would bring the Capitals and NBA Wizards to a new arena in Northern Virginia, report Teo Armus, Laura Vozzella, Sam Fortier, and Gregory S. Schneider of the Washington Post. If the plan received approval from the General Assembly and other local officials, the two teams would play in an arena in Alexandria’s Potomac Yard neighborhood.  Monumental Sports and Entertainment, the group that owns the Caps and Wizards, would lease the new facility under this plan.  Capital One Arena, where the team plays now, is one of the older buildings in the NHL having been built back in 1997.