Edmonton Oilers Talk: Andrei Kuzmenko Edition

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Apparently KHL free agent Andrei Kuzmenko is leaning towards signing with the Oilers

Mikhail Zislis, a journalist for Sport Express in Russia, tweeted that Andrei Kuzmenko of SKA St. Petersburg is looking to sign with an NHL club and that the Oilers are the team he’s leaning towards.
Kuzmenko is a right-handed winger who plays the left side. He just turned 26 years old in February and is coming off of the best season of his KHL career, as he scored 20 goals and 53 points over 45 games for St. Petersburg. He led his team in points and finished second in league scoring behind only Vadim Shipachyov.

The Hockey Writers

Oilers Would Have to Sacrifice Key Players to Sign KHL’s Kuzmenko

A recent example and comparable is Artemi Panarin who posted a 1.15 points per game in his final season in the KHL before signing with the Chicago Blackhawks. Kuzmenko had the same scoring impact this season in his presumed final one in Russia, scoring 53 points in 45 regular season games and 12 points in 10 playoff games.
Other examples of former KHL players coming over and having success include Kirill Kaprizov, Nikita Gusev, Ilya Mikheyev, Artem Zub, and even Nikita Zaitsev… Even players like Evgeny Dadonov and Alexander Radulov have found a ton of success in the NHL after returning from the KHL.
If the Oilers do intend on bringing Kuzmenko onto the team this summer, I would expect a two or three year deal at $3-4 million average annual value (AAV). That is what Panarin did.
While there seems to be a decision on Holland’s hands between Kane and Puljujarvi if it comes down to that. They are perfect complements to each other considering Kane is aggressive and can score while Puljujarvi is a two-way machine and does a ton away from the puck, not getting the recognition he deserves.
Zack Kassian is the name that should come to everybody’s mind… He is a bottom-six player at best who has been invisible most of the season. Even if he is playing a physical brand of hockey, he still isn’t worth the $3.2 million a year the Oilers are paying him.
Tyson Barrie should also be a priority to move with the emergence of Evan Bouchard. The Oilers can’t afford to be paying a third-pairing defenceman $4.5 million when Bouchard or even Nurse can do his job on the power play.
The Oilers will likely have to run with Mike Smith and Stuart Skinner in net and let Mikko Koskinen walk, while players like Josh Archibald, Kris Russell, and Kyle Turris will also go.
It isn’t believed that the Oilers are going to have to put up a huge fight, as Kuzmenko is apparently already leaning heavily towards the Oilers as his choice in NHL teams.

BLH’s Thoughts: I wonder, if Kane fares well in his arbitration case with the Sharks will he get greedy or will be be willing to accept less to stay with the Oilers thus freeing up a bit of cash to sign Kuzmenko? There’s a scenario in my mind where I could actually see Kuzmenko signing a deal with a higher AAV than Kane and in that same scenario, I could see Ken Holland trading Jesse Puljujarvi in it and moving Zach Hyman over to his spot on Connor McDavid’s line.

Now, I don’t want Pulju to get traded. He’s my favorite player on the team right now and I’d love for him to be able to find his mojo as an Oiler, but if I’m being 100% honest with you, I believe that the best thing for him and the team might be for Ken Holland to move him. In my gut, I don’t think Connor and Leon are as happy to play with him as they let on but they’re putting on a brave face for the organization and I don’t get the feeling the coaching staff particularly trusts him. He’s one of the rare first line RWers in the league that doesn’t get any PP or PK time and that speaks volumes to me. Just imagine what it’s saying to Pulju. Add to that the fact that the club has Xavier Bourgault coming, Carter Savoie, Rafa Lavoie, Matty Petrov, and Dylan Holloway as well…

Trading Jesse alone won’t open up any meaningful cap space, but if he’s packaged along with Zack Kassian or Tyson Barrie, that’ll create a bit of flexibility.

That all being said, my preference is for the team to keep Jesse and Kane and work something out between Kuzmenko and Yamamoto. Evander’s style of play and scoring ability has been a revelation of sorts and I guess there’s a bit of a friendship forming between JP and him. On-ice chemistry is a real thing and it’s not easy to come by.

To add to that, I’m going to watch Kailer very closely during the playoffs to see if his lack of size leads to him getting pushed out of games or if it becomes even more valuable considering his style of play is desperately needed in the post-season.

Everything being equal, I just really feel like a bigger team that plays a fairly physical game has more potential to go further in the playoffs when the ice shrinks and the refs put the whistles away. I’m old school like that. When I see what the Flames have built, I’m 100% jealous of how big and physical that team has been built and I want the Oilers to have a team that can walk into the Saddledome and equal that. Selfishly, I would like to see Edmonton bring more players in to stir the shit and have the wherewithal to back it up too. The Skill’s there and there’s more coming, time to up the brute factor.

Either way, Edmonton’s management team has their work cut out for them this summer and individual performances are going to be key with regards to who’s staying and who’s going this summer.

Trade Rumors

Spector’s Hockey: Michael Russo also believes it’s “damn near impossible to find a way that Fiala won’t be jettisoned this offseason.” Nevertheless, he felt they must find a way or they’ll end up regretting it.
The Daily Goal Horn: The question everyone will be asking is just where we could see Fleury next season?
- The first choice, and if the salary is right will be to stay put with the Wild. He has a great relationship with GM Bill Guerin and appears to be a perfect fit for this team.
- Everyone knows he did not want to leave and almost retired rather than report to Chicago.
- One last hurrah to the place where it all started (Pittsburgh) and where he won his Stanley Cup rings.
NHLRumors.com: One source said they wouldn’t be shocked if the Blackhawks tested the trade market for Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane…
- To deplete their roster for next season, they may look at trading forwards Dominik Kubalik and Dylan Strome. It doesn’t sound like the Blackhawks will go after top KHL free agent Andrei Kuzmenko.

BLH’s Thoughts: Could you imagine if Ken Holland found a way to sell the Oilers on Fleury successfully?… I won’t hold my breath but it’s a nice thought to have nevertheless.