Kuzmenko trade looking excellent for Flames as he extends point streak
Calgary Flames general manager Craig Conroy has made a number of solid deals since taking over, though one in particular really stands out.
In early February, the Flames chose to trade pending UFA Elias Lindholm to the Vancouver Canucks. In return, they received Andrei Kuzmenko, a first-round pick and a conditional fourth-round pick in 2024, as well as defence prospects Hunter Brzustewicz and Joni Jurmo.
The most exciting part about this deal for Flames fans at the time it was made was the acquisition of Brzustewicz. The 19-year-old defenceman has a ton of potential and finished this season with 13 goals and 92 points in 67 games for the Kitchener Rangers in the OHL.
Kuzmenko, on the other hand, was looked at as more of a cap dump from the Canucks’ perspective. After a 74-point rookie season in 2022-23, the 28-year-old had regressed, recording just 21 points in 43 games prior to the deal being made. Since then, it’s become very obvious that a change of scenery was all that was needed for the crafty Russian forward to get his game back on track.
Kuzmenko was able to get an assist on a second-period goal from Nazem Kadri in last night’s game versus the San Jose Sharks, which extended his personal point streak to six games. He wasn’t done there, either, as he buried the overtime winner to complete the comeback for the Flames, who were trailing the game 2-0 early in the second period.
KUUUUZ š„
Andrei Kuzmenko nets the @Energizer OT winner to give him five multi-point efforts in his last six games! pic.twitter.com/n49CNRwTDi
— NHL (@NHL) April 10, 2024
An area where Kuzmenko has really helped the Flames is their power play. Though it still sits at just 17.5% on the season, he has added plenty of creativity to it since being added to the roster.
“I feel like they’re starting to feel like they can have an impact and they can get the job done right now,” Flames head coach Ryan Huska said after last night’s game. “Earlier in the year they went out there and I don’t think they had the real belief that they could make a difference in the game. It’s nice to see, and we’d like to see them continue to go that way.”
Over his six-game point streak, Kuzmenko has recorded five goals and 10 points. He now sits at 10 goals and 19 points through 24 games as a Flame, and will look to continue his offensive surge tomorrow night versus the LA Kings.