Canucks making Kuzmenko a healthy scratch for fourth game this season
Andrei Kuzmenko is sitting out yet another Vancouver Canucks game as a healthy scratch. This will be the fourth time he has sat out this season despite being healthy enough to play.
Head coach Rick Tocchet confirmed this morning that the winger will not be in the lineup tonight for the team’s game against the Dallas Stars. This is the second consecutive game that Kuzmenko will sit out as a healthy scratch.
“Same lineup,” Tocchet said to the media this morning. “Kuzy’s out.”
Kuzmenko’s offensive production has fallen off drastically compared to last season. He’s been moved all around the lineup but has struggled to find the same level of play that led him to score 39 goals last year.
The offensive numbers are not the only reason why Tocchet has grown frustrated. The head coach has also harped on the right-handed player’s forechecking ability.
āIām tired of answering questions about him,āĀ the coach said about the winger back in early December after a 6-5 loss to the New Jersey Devils. āWe came back, it worked out. Kuzyās got to, heās got to forecheck. Letās start with that.ā
Kuzmenko’s frequent absences from the lineup have caused his name to come up in trade rumours. Teams are inquiring about the scoring winger but as the situation continues to go on, there is no clear end to the situation in sight.
Pius Suter is the latest player to be elevated onto the Elias Pettersson line in the position that used to belong to Kuzmenko. Suter had a goal and an assist last game on that line, helping to push the Canucks to a 5-2 victory over the Nashville Predators.
The Canucks face off against the Stars tonight and the puck drops at 5 pm PT. These two teams have played once already this season, a game in which the Canucks won 2-0.