On Thursday, the Canucks will get the chance to make their case to Russian free agent Andrei Kuzmenko during an in-person interview in Vancouver.
According to reports, he was in Edmonton on Wednesday.
He's also reported to have visited two U.S.-based teams; I believe Florida and...Detroit?
The history of the Russian Five with the Red Wings could be catnip to a Russian player. Florida, of course, offers a Presidents' Trophy-winning team, a strong Russian community, and no state tax. And while it seems like the Panthers' forward ranks are overflowing,
CapFriendly shows they have just nine forwards signed for next season. With only one pick in the first two rounds of the draft over the next three seasons, and with a $5.4 million cap hit from Keith Yandle's buyout on the books for next year, GM Bill Zito is going to need to be clever in his player acquisition and with his spending.
I can see why Kuzmenko would be a target for the Panthers. Even though he's 26, he'd still need to sign an entry-level contract, which offers a degree of cost control.
Artemi Panarin is the best example of an older free agent who set the NHL on fire. He was just shy of his 24th birthday when he joined the Chicago Blackhawks for the 2015-16 season — and while his two-year entry-level deal carried a base cap hit of just $812,500,
CapFriendly shows that he had performance bonuses of more than $2.5 million available in both seasons.
In an article about bonus overages on
PuckPedia, Earl Schwartz reminds us that when Panarin scored in the last game of the 2016-17 season, he triggered a $1.725 Schedule B bonus for finishing tied for 10th in NHL scoring. He also earned $850,000 in Schedule A bonuses, maxing out his $2.575 million in potential bonuses and seeing that entire overage pushed onto the Blackhawks' 2017-18 salary cap.
And while the Blackhawks had signed Panarin to a two-year extension with a $6 million cap hit in December, they could no longer afford to keep him. He was traded to Columbus on June 23, 2017.
While I'm not projecting that Kuzmenko will reach that level, Panarin's story is a good reminder of how these situations work, financially. Kuzmenko would only cost $925,000 against the cap this year, but that number could escalate quickly.
The Oilers, of course, are also eager to upgrade their forward group without breaking the bank. And apparently Ken Holland tried to bring Kuzmenko to Detroit back when he was still in charge of the Red Wings. They can also dangle an opportunity to play with Connor McDavid. The Canucks offer Kuzmenko's old teammate from SKA St. Petersburgh, Vasily Podkolzin, and plenty of opportunity to be a top-six contributor.
I believe the Vancouver meeting is the last one on Kuzmenko's list. So we should have a decision in the next week or so. It'll be interesting to see how the new regime fares in making its case for the Canucks.
Kuzmenko figures into the mix in Vancouver in a very thorough new look at the offseason from
Sportsnet. It's composed by
Jason Bukala, who has a long history as an NHL scout with the Nashville Predators and Florida Panthers.
Bukala assesses each member of the Canucks' current lineup, then projects what he expects to see next season. His depth chart has Kuzmenko playing left wing on the fourth line, and also includes a number of other free-agent forward signings in the bottom six.
Here's his proposed bottom six, and price points:
Third line: Mason Marchment ($2.75 million) - Evan Rodrigues ($3.5 million) - Vasily Podkolzin ($925,000)
Fourth line: Kuzmenko ($925,000) - Curtis Lazar ($800,000) - Nils Hoglander ($892,000)
He proposes buying out Jason Dickinson, cutting ties with RFAs Juho Lammikko and Matthew Highmore, and signing Brock Boeser to a six-year deal with a cap hit of $6.5 million.
I'm not sure about Hoglander on the fourth line. The general feeling seems to be that he's not very effective if he's not in situations where he can contribute offensively. But his demonic forecheck is also an important part of the game, and he's a ferocious hitter. Maybe he can be effective as a bottom-six player?
And while it's fascinating to look at the players Bukala could fit into the Canucks lineup — both financially and by skillset — I'm not sure I can get behind any of his proposed additions.
• On the surface, I can see the thinking behind Rodrigues. Now 28, he was acquired by Rutherford for Pittsburgh at the 2020 trade deadline. An undrafted college free agent signed by Buffalo out of Boston University, Rodrigues took a big step forward this season, hitting career highs with 19 goals and 43 points. He carried a $2 million cap hit when he landed in Pittsburgh, but Rutherford elected not to issue him a qualifying offer, and instead signed him to a one-year deal at the league minimum of $700,000. As a UFA once again last summer, Rodrigues re-signed with Pittsburgh at $1 million.
With all that in mind, this match seems unlikely to me. I wouldn't expect Rutherford to be the highest bidder for Rodrigues' services, and I'm not sure the player would be inclined to choose a GM who previously lowballed him.
• Bukala would know Marchment from his time in Florida. He was acquired by the Panthers from Toronto at the 2020 trade deadline and had a similar breakout to Rodrigues this season, with 18 goals and 47 points.
Marchment turns 27 this weekend, on June 18. He made just $800,000 this season, so he's also in line for a significant raise. And while Marchment has some bite to his game — something I think Rutherford is looking for — I'm not sure that his body of work justifies a $2.75 million payday. I'd rather see the Canucks try to find the *next* Marchment at $800,000, and let the enhanced player development group do their thing. I still have hope for Will Lockwood in a bottom-six role!
• Curtis Lazar is also in the same age range — now 27. The Salmon Arm native was selected eight picks behind Bo Horvat in the 2013 draft. And while he played 70 games for Boston last season, that's his highest tally since his second NHL season. His 16 points with the Bruins were also second-best in his career, which topped out at 20 points in 76 games in 2014-15.
Lazar's fine, but he's not a difference maker. I think he's Nic Petan in a bigger body.
On the back end, Bukala expresses some concern about Tyler Myers and Tucker Poolman, but his model brings back the same defense group as last year — because he says he doesn't think the Canucks could get decent value for either right-shot blueliner in a trade.
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