The Kings are making winger Andrei Kuzmenko a healthy scratch for their game against the Maple Leafs tonight, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. The scoring winger has been benched for significant parts of Los Angeles’ last two games, logging less than eight minutes of ice time in each.
Kuzmenko, 29, caught lightning in a bottle with the Kings last year after they picked him up from the Flyers at the trade deadline for a third-round pick. He was a seamless fit from the start as the left winger on L.A.’s top line with Anže Kopitar and Adrian Kempe, rattling off five goals and 12 assists for 17 points in 22 games down the stretch. He was lethal on the power play in their first-round loss to the Oilers, clicking at a point-per-game – including three power-play goals – while averaging north of 18 minutes per night.
The Russian winger has always been a streaky option since initially signing with the Canucks back in 2022, though. That prevented him from pursuing a longer-term deal on the free agent market last summer. While the Kings couldn’t retain their top UFA defender, Vladislav Gavrikov, they were able to reach at least a one-year agreement to retain Kuzmenko, paying him $4.3MM per season.
Kuzmenko has, by and large, retained his spot with Kopitar and Kempe this year, at least when Kopitar’s been in the lineup (he missed time in October with a foot injury), but hasn’t been nearly as productive. His ice time has been reduced back to under 15 minutes per game, and he’s only tallied three goals and seven points in 17 contests, a full-season pace of just 14 goals and 34 points. That would be the lowest offensive output of his four-year career.
Joel Armia has been bumped up to the top line with Kuzmenko’s benchings and role reduction and is expected to maintain that position tonight. In less ice time, Armia has produced more than Kuzmenko (a 3-5–8 scoring line in 17 games) with much better defensive impacts and a +4 rating. Jeff Malott will re-enter the lineup in Kuzmenko’s place, presumably in a fourth-line role, after serving as a healthy scratch in four of the Kings’ last nine games.
Kuzmenko taking a page from the Tarasenko playbook, He plays well when he feels like it.
Isn’t it weird that it’s a Russian phenomenon among high impact offensive forwards you got Malkin, Tarasenko, Kuzmenko, kuznetsov, Mitchkov and Kucherov pretty much all accused of taking large amounts of time off during games
It’s the Russian way.
Does well in first season with a team; expect Blues to be his next dance partner soon…
He’s not the only one not scoring He does have a lethal shot, but needs to shoot more!
Some think he might be a scapegoat here
But.
Moore Danault Turcott Foegele aren’t exactly on the scoresheets very much either
The issue is the four above. Three play stellar defensive and can kill penalties and Turcott has C listed as his position in the Kings aren’t exactly loaded at that spot
Plain and simple Kuzmenko is a defensive liability and if he’s not putting the puck in the net or showing up on score sheets he is pretty much worthless in the lineup
He did a pretty good job of back checking last year. His career shooting percentage is over 20%. Just shoot the damn puck more than once a game! 5 or more would be nice!