The Vancouver Canucks‘ low season is underway and whilst there’s quite a lot of hypothesis over what the entrance administrative center would possibly do to improve its blue line, or which of Brock Boeser, J.T. Miller or Conor Garland they’ll business, the primary transfer of notice was once an FA signing.
Even though no longer reliable but, Russian winger Andrey Kuzmenko and his agent Dan Milstein dedicated to the Canucks on Monday, with the crew confirming in a while after.
The addition of Kuzmenko is a welcome and definitely fascinating building for the Canucks. Signing regulations cap Kuzmenko’s deal at an entry-level one-year, $950,000 cap hit, however permit for Efficiency A and B signing bonuses that might result in a carry-over cap hit into the hundreds of thousands.
The ones phrases are nonetheless being labored out, even though, and the contract cannot be made reliable till July 13, the day loose company opens.
This can be a participant Canucks GM Patrik Allvin is very acutely aware of and has been monitoring for a while.
“I’ve been observing Andrey since his 2014-15 season and feature been inspired along with his building and growth,” Allvin mentioned in a crew press free up. “As soon as the contract main points are finalized, we look ahead to serving to him keep growing as a hockey participant.”
So who’s Kuzmenko? What form of participant is he? The place may just he have compatibility into Vancouver’s lineup, and what may just it imply to different attainable strikes this summer time? Here is a fast review:
WHAT TYPE OF PLAYER IS KUZMENKO?
He was once by no means drafted into the NHL and did not utterly graduate out of Russia’s junior MHL for 2 years after he was once first eligible for the draft. He is a past due bloomer who wasn’t even on the subject of being some extent according to recreation participant within the KHL till simply this previous season, when he completed 2d in league scoring with 53 issues in 45 video games, and the fourth-best issues according to recreation price by way of a 25-year-old participant in league historical past.
“Going again 3 years he was once a just right participant, no longer an elite participant after which two years in the past he took every other step ahead…after which this 12 months he in point of fact popped,” Cam Robinson, Director of Movie Scouting for Elite Potentialities, informed the FAN 650. “He was once afforded each alternative you’ll be able to consider. Whether or not he will get that during Vancouver is every other factor, however it is going to be about placing him in place to prevail, working out what he can do, and forgiving a few of the ones miscues and nonetheless rolling him available in the market for no matter he will get, 15-17 mins an evening with the facility play.”
Any crew that obtained Kuzmenko was once doing so for the offence he can convey, along side the rather affordable and low-risk cap hit he’d include. The Canucks, with about $9.6 million in projected cap house, have choices for use Kuzmenko and even though the theory is that he will grow to be a top-six ahead and get some energy play utilization, studies point out that the crew did not promise him the ones roles out of the gate, and that he will wish to earn it.
If he is given the chance to prevail and fail and afforded the room and time to conform to the NHL recreation, all indications are that it is a participant who will have to give the Canucks a spice up on offence, and versatility across the lineup, as recently built.
“He is an elusive skater. He is were given just right pace, can alternate gears successfully. He controls the tempo and has some just right fakes,” Robinson mentioned. “In zone within the offensive finish he can embarrass other folks with some fast strikes.
“Whilst transporting the puck during the impartial zone he performs a bit extra NHL taste the place he does not search for the deke immediately. He will search for the access first, curl round after which glance to perhaps embarrass someone.
“I would name him a playmaker at first off the wing. He has a good shot. They applied him in a number of various tactics at the energy play. He was once at the proper circle, left circle, web entrance man, he was once that down low participant who appears to be like to distribute. His skill to look the ice, endurance, to attract protection after which transfer it’s some of the translatable a part of his recreation.”
WHO DOES HE BEST FIT WITH?
Here is the million greenback query, and the way Canucks control tasks this may tell probably the most different possible choices they have got to make this summer time (extra on that in a while).
If the Canucks go back J.T. Miller and run him again as a centre as a substitute of at the wing, then there can be 3 pivots Kuzmenko may just line up beside, between Miller, Elias Pettersson and Bo Horvat. By the point subsequent season ends, Kuzmenko will almost certainly have got a glance with a lot of combos.
If the Canucks have that three-headed monster down the center, in all probability Kuzmenko may just first be eased into a 3rd line position beside any person who would possibly supplement his recreation the most productive.
“Bo Horvat is more or less a capturing centre so he generally is a great playmaking winger for him,” Robinson mentioned. “Horvat may be extra of that heavy puck pursuit taste. Kuzmenko is also lovely tenacious to move get unfastened pucks, particularly within the offensive finish. I would not name him a heavy participant in anyway, however he does have slightly of that grit to his recreation too.
“I am positive Pettersson and him would do smartly as smartly. It is dependent upon the place you need to fit him in. He is a proper shot man who historically performs the left wing, he can play the suitable aspect as smartly so perhaps in the event that they finally end up transferring J.T. Miller he is a pleasant man to slip into Petey’s left wing there.”
WHAT’S THE DOWNSIDE?
With such little funding in both time period or cap hit, there’s nearly no threat in placing Kuzmenko into the lineup and seeing what he can do. The one problem may well be if Kuzmenko is not installed a lineup place the place he can prevail, or if the training group of workers shies clear of the usage of him early if Kuzmenko has a couple of defensive breakdowns that he is also at risk of.
“Defensively he does not in point of fact do all that a lot,” Robinson mentioned. “He will keep on with his guy at the again take a look at and that is the reason about it. He will need to pop in an offensive position to be able to be efficient and be a contributing issue. I’ve a sense the group has just about chiseled his identify into an offensive position.”
Now not each Russian offensive whiz who comes over to the NHL later of their careers carries over that manufacturing. Vadim Shipachyov and Nikita Gusev are a few contemporary examples of Russian gamers who arrived within the NHL with nice fanfare and perceived upside, after which returned to the KHL after a brief and unsuccessful North American stint.
If that occurs with Kuzmenko too, the Canucks will rarely be burned by way of it, except they make every other roster transfer or business that banks on Kuzmenko being a breakout, top-six big name.
The important thing for Vancouver and its training group of workers, then, is to position Kuzmenko in just right spots, do not shy clear of his early gaffes, and let him breath in a task that most closely fits his recreation.
“Figuring out and figuring out a participant’s talent and what they may be able to convey to the desk to learn them and to learn the crew, thats the No. 1 precedence. I am assuming they have got watched a ton of tape and know the participant smartly,” Robinson mentioned.
“If he will get the boldness from the trainer and the accept as true with from the coaches that there shall be errors, there shall be overlooked assignments at the again take a look at, that you simply stay rolling him available in the market, stay giving him self belief boosters.”
SCOUT’S ANALYSIS FROM JASON BUKALA:
“Kuzmenko brings an higher tier (height six) talent set to the Vancouver Canucks. He has the facility to make performs in small spaces and spin off tests. Even if he selections his spots from time to time he has an additional tools in transition and may also be speedy to seek out open ice within the offensive zone and stale the frenzy. He is not tall (5-foot-11) however he is very robust/robust (194 kilos). When he shields pucks he’s tricky to push off the play. He’s going to wish to regulate and supply extra element at the defensive aspect of the sport, however his talent set wins out. Be expecting him to give a contribution at the energy play.”
WHAT OTHER CHANGES COULD THIS SIGNING LEAD TO?
If Kuzmenko goes to hit as a top-six scorer and tool play contributor, he offers Vancouver a large number of cap advantages with just a $950,000 price for simply this season. In fact, if he does finally end up hitting, that price will simplest soar subsequent low season, when he’d grow to be UFA eligible.
That is a dialogue for every other day.
Within the interim, having any person who tasks as a top-six winger and who may just in all probability even get started there leaves the Canucks in a greater position to transport out every other ahead, in the event that they so make a selection.
“It indisputably frees them up now to transport a core piece to assist every other house of the crew or to filter out cap house,” Robinson mentioned.
If we view Kuzmenko as a left winger who gets energy play mins, that would seem to go away Tanner Pearson and his $3.25 million cap hit as not being required. In all probability his identify might be added to the record of business applicants in Vancouver this summer time.
However it will additionally depart Boeser within the business crosshairs. The pending RFA may just pass to arbitration this summer time, or settle for a one-year qualifying be offering from the Canucks at $7.5 million. If there isn’t any inexpensive, long-term deal to get achieved right here, Boeser is also the participant who makes extra sense to transport on from in mild of the Kuzmenko select up.
“There may be some huge cash dedicated at the wing. You have got Tanner Pearson, Brock Boeser and Conor Garland, and if you wish to come with J.T. Miller as a winger, which I nonetheless view him as basically…that is some huge cash,” The Athletic’s Thomas Drance informed Halford and Brough. “That is a large number of cap greenbacks dedicated at the wing. If Boeser had been to just accept his qualifying be offering that is $20 million price of height six wingers. When you throw Kuzmenko into the combo, however Podkolzin and Hoglander too, one approach to shed cap house — one thing this membership’s been interested by since new control got here in — it will really feel like an glaring house with 4 gamers that are meant to have some price across the league.
“It is onerous to not suppose that in all probability in many ways it is a transfer that provides them some choices with regards to managing a departure in a space the place they have got a surplus of ability and cap house dedicated…You watch the tape of Kuzmenko at the energy play and I might say it is onerous to not suppose that in point of fact it is a web entrance man who would possibly transfer on, which might be Boeser or Pearson to be able to make house.”
Miller, who performed a number at centre this season, however is historically additionally a left winger, is every other business candidate in center of attention right here. In a position to signal an extension as of July 1, if the Canucks cannot come to phrases with him and would somewhat no longer stroll into subsequent season with no need Miller signed to an extension, getting Kuzmenko at the left aspect is helping offset that offensive loss a minimum of a bit. The Russian is not likely to be a 99-point participant immediately after all, however buying and selling Miller will have to additionally convey again a pleasant go back from any of his many suitors.
In fact, there is all the time an opportunity Kuzmenko simply does not figure out, and you’ll hate to make some other enormous choices sooner than he even steps at the ice.
“The item to keep in mind about this kind of signing, it is a low threat, prime upside signing from a Vancouver viewpoint,” Drance persevered. “Kuzmenko is an outstanding participant, however there is additionally an actual probability that he in the end is not an enormous contributor. That he settles in as a 3rd line energy play specialist. For the entire pleasure, there is a actual probability he is just a little participant and even not up to that.”
Greater than a break hit being added to the Canucks, Kuzmenko is best seen via the similar lens as a prospect graduating out of the device and being afforded a possibility on the NHL point. Vancouver does not have a large number of the ones varieties of kids pushing for jobs at ahead, so Kuzmenko is located cash in that method. Would you business away a Miller form of participant simply because one prospect is in a position for a step up?
It is a resolution to be very cautious with.
Kuzmenko would grow to be eligible for a freelance extension halfway via subsequent season, and his long run with the crew is assumed to were a part of the pitch from Vancouver. This is not a crew with a ton of cap flexibility past subsequent season — $48.497 million is already dedicated to the 2023-24 roster, and that is the reason sooner than some other acquisitions this low season, or accounting for attainable extensions for Miller, Horvat or Boeser.
“It definitely is suggestive of a few of what we would possibly see this low season and probably the most larger strikes this membership would possibly make,” Drance mentioned.
“And in all probability they simply come to a decision to move with a loaded height 9 crew.”
