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For the second time this season, Andrei Kuzmenko is on the move. The Philadelphia Flyers forward was dealt to the Los Angeles Kings on Friday ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline, as first reported by Sportsnet hockey insider Elliotte Friedman.
In return, the Flyers will receive a 2027 third-round pick; they also retained 50 percent of Kuzmenko's cap hit in the deal.
Philadelphia has also sent Scott Laughton to the Toronto Maple Leafs, and that's two trade chips off the table for general manager Daniel Briere and the front office.
It's been a challenging couple of years for Kuzmenko after a breakout rookie campaign with the Vancouver Canucks in 2022-23. After coming over from Russia, the 29-year-old was fantastic in British Columbia, managing 39 goals and 74 points in 81 games.
But after a tough start to the 2023-24 season, he was traded from the Canucks to the Calgary Flames midway through the year. He didn't last long in Alberta before being shipped out again right around a year later, this time to the Flyers in January of 2025.
Kuzmenko chipped in two goals and five points over seven games in the City of Brotherly Love, and he'll now join a Kings team that is desperate for some more offense. He's in the second season of a two-year, $11 million contract signed when he was a member of the Canucks.
The right-shot winger is set to hit unrestricted free agency at the end of the 2024-25 season. Over 43 games this year split between Calgary and Philly, Kuzmenko has managed six goals and 20 points.
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This trade could end up being a steal for Los Angeles if Kuzmenko can find the form he showed with Vancouver a couple of seasons ago. He's been streaky throughout his NHL career but is still a highly skilled forward — something the Kings badly needed ahead of the 3 p.m. ET deadline.
It'll be interesting to see if Kuzmenko will be able to carve out a role in LA's top-six; he will certainly be a candidate to jump onto one of the top two powerplay units right away.
Kings are fading at the worst possible time
After a strong start to the campaign, it's been a brutal stretch for the Kings as of late. With five consecutive losses dating back to February 26, LA is in serious jeopardy of falling out of third place in the Pacific Division.
As of Friday, the Kings are 31-20-9 and just three points up on the Flames, who currently occupy the final wildcard berth in the Western Conference. The Canucks are also right there, one point back of Calgary and four away from Los Angeles.
The team needs to get back in the win column, and fast, and the hope is that Kuzmenko will be an important piece of that quest down the stretch. The Kings have 22 games left in their regular-season.
