Heading into his first full season with the Kings, Kuzmenko looks to continue where he left off with the Kings.
Andrei Kuzmenko had a very interesting 2024-25 NHL season. He started with the Calgary Flames, where he played 32 games in which he registered 4 goals and 11 assists for 15 points. He was then traded to the Philadelphia Flyers alongside Jakob Pelletier.
Kuzmenko played only 7 games for the Flyers, registering 2 goals and 3 assists for 5 points. Then, on the trade deadline, the Flyers would trade Kuzmenko to the Kings in exchange for a 2027 third-round pick. Kuzmenko achieved moderate success with the Kings, scoring 5 goals and registering 12 assists in 22 games, totalling 17 points. He also performed well in the playoffs, contributing 3 goals and 3 assists in 6 games.
After the Oilers eliminated the Kings in 6 games, Kuzmenko would sign a 1-year $4.3 million contract with the Kings during the offseason.
Kuzmenko will look to try to replicate his first year in the NHL, where he was 1 goal shy of the 40-goal mark for the Canucks. According to PuckPedia, Kuzmenko is on the first line alongside Kopitar and Kempe, so he will have the opportunity to have a positive impact on the Kings. Playing alongside Kempe and Kopitar is one of the best things for Kuzmenko because Kempe leads the team in points. Kopitar led the team in assists, making this a very good opportunity for Kuzmenko to showcase his scoring and offensive playmaking abilities, and to prove why he should stay with the Kings after his contract expires at the end of the 2025-26 season.
My prediction for Kuzmenko is that we will see flashes of his first-year performance with the Canucks, but I do not expect him to reach that point total this year. Playing alongside some of the best offensive Kings players, I wouldn’t be shocked if Kuzmenko had a 30 to 40 point total at the end of the season. Ever since his first season in the NHL, it has been a slow decline, and both he and the Kings are hoping he can produce like he did in his first year. Kuzmenko has to prove why he deserves to stay with the Kings, but with him playing on the top line and getting power-play minutes, he will be able to make a good case for the Kings to keep him.
