*Photo from ESPN*
There's a rising star getting a new contract out west. The Vancouver Canucks and RW Andrei Kuzmenko have agreed to a two year, $11 million contract extension, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The Canucks have officially confirmed.
After signing with the Canucks in the offseason from Russia, Kuzmenko was a pending UFA on a one year deal and has put together a strong first season in North America. He is tied for second in goals on the Canucks and 3rd in points after playing for 8 years in Russia's Kontinental Hockey League.
Kuzmenko said of his situation in Vancouver that "I like the fans. I like my partners in the game. I like the coaching staff. I'm happy in Vancouver, why not sign two years? I think it's a good deal for two sides. And my side is a good bridge in Vancouver. For me it's a very important moment because I don't like changes, a second team in the NHL is a new city, new team, it's not a good situation."
The extension for Kuzmenko covers the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 seasons, and has a $2 million signing bonus in year one to go with a $1 million signing bonus in year two. He has a $5.5 million AAV and his contract contains a modified no trade clause, a 12 team no trade list.
Kuzmenko has been one of Vancouver's best players in an otherwise poor season. He has 43 points, split between 21 goals and 22 assists, to go with a +4 plus/minus rating in an average of 16:01 ice time per game. Kuzmenko has appeared in 47 games prior to play on Friday.
New Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet said that "He's a very skilled guy. Knowing you have him another two years, he can score. There's work to do with him to be a complete player but one thing is he can score and we're excited about that. Around the net, he's a bull. But we've got to work on his defense. We've got to work on some habits to be a complete player."
Comments
Post a Comment