The Athletic has stay protection of the 2025 NHL trade deadline.
Kings get: Ahead Andrei Kuzmenko
Flyers get: 2027 third-round draft choose (Flyers retain 50 p.c of Kuzmenko’s wage)
Shayna Goldman: Even with 50 p.c wage retention, a third-round choose is a bit a lot to surrender for Andrei Kuzmenko. So this can be a good transfer for the rebuilding Flyers, as a result of the winger was by no means going to be a long-term match there.
It’s been fairly a while since Kuzmenko’s 38-goal season in 2022-23, which appears to be like like an actual outlier at this level. Capturing percentages come and go, however typically gamers can maintain worth by contributing elsewhere when their ending fades. That hasn’t been the case for Kuzmenko, whose goal-scoring downturn has crushed his worth. He doesn’t drive play or transition the puck up the ice to assist facilitate it, both. His defensive recreation is one other anchor in his worth. There simply isn’t a ton of dimension outdoors of that taking pictures expertise, and the issue is that he isn’t a stylistic match for the bottom-six on most groups. In order that explains why he has bounced round a lot during the last couple of seasons.
Discovering a really perfect match for Kuzmenko is hard, however there’s really some juice with the Kings. Los Angeles has numerous two-way expertise within the top-nine, which may also help steadiness out a few of Kuzmenko’s flaws. What this group wants is a few ending expertise. In all conditions, the group has scored 21 targets fewer than anticipated primarily based on the standard of their photographs. That has been a theme with this group for a while. So if Kuzmenko can discover his scoring contact, he may very well be the winger this group wants. With Kevin Fiala lastly hitting his stride, the Kings simply want some accents on the wing to punch up their scoring. Since he’s removed from a positive factor, that wage retention issues, as a result of the Kings might not be executed.
Kings grade: B-
Flyers grade: B+
(Photograph of Andrei Kuzmenko: Kyle Ross / Imagn Pictures)
