Pacific Notes: Kuzmenko, Kings Defensemen, Kadri

Los Angeles Kings forward Andrei Kuzmenko left yesterday’s game with an upper-body injury, the team announced last night. Kuzmenko left the bench with an injury and attempted to return in the second period, but was unable to get back into the game. The Kings have not issued any further update on Kuzmenko’s status, but the fact that the Olympic break has now begun does give Kuzmenko some runway to recover before games start up again.

Kuzmenko, 30, has had an up-and-down tenure in Los Angeles. He was an instant success after he was traded there last season, scoring five goals and 17 points in 22 games. He added six points in the Kings’ first round playoff series against the Edmonton Oilers. He has just 23 points in 51 games this season, but he’s far from the only Kings forward who has seen his offensive production take a step back year-over-year. It will be interesting to see how Kuzmenko’s usage does or does not change after the addition of Artemi Panarin.

Other notes from the Pacific Division:

• After yesterday’s game, Kings head coach Jim Hiller told the media, including team reporter Zach Dooley, that the Kings’ defense is “pretty banged up” and that several blueliners are “quite a ways south of 100 percent.” Dooley noted that this is a new development, as previously only veteran Joel Edmundson had been understood to be dealing with an injury. With the Kings in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race, it’s clear the Olympic break is coming at a useful time for the Kings.
• Calgary Flames center Nazem Kadri figures to be one of the top players available at his position in the lead up to this season’s trade deadline, but recently, trade rumors surrounding his name have slowed. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman wrote today that Kadri’s trade situation is moving more slowly than anticipated in part because teams are looking for clarity on Vincent Trocheck and Robert Thomas, two centers whose names are swirling in trade rumors. Friedman noted that the Flames are “flexible” in terms of what kind of return they’re seeking in exchange for Kadri, which could help the odds that a trade is completed before the deadline passes.