Andrei Kuzmenko, the Vancouver Canucks winger, is no stranger to the pressures of professional hockey. After a previous season that saw him amass an impressive 74 points, his current campaign has been less prolific. With a two-year contract valued at $11 million in hand, expectations were high for Kuzmenko to deliver similar or improved results. However, 21 games into the season, his tally stands at 15 points, comprising four goals and 11 assists, a noticeable dip from his previous form.
A Season of Challenges
Kuzmenko's struggles on the ice have not gone unnoticed by the team's management. He has been benched as a healthy scratch twice, signaling a need for improvement. Compounding his on-ice challenges, Kuzmenko recently sustained a facial injury after being struck by a deflected shot from teammate JT Miller. This incident occurred during a game against the New York Islanders, and while it has led to Kuzmenko missing subsequent games, he is expected to make a return shortly.
In his latest outing against the Vegas Golden Knights at Rogers Arena, Kuzmenko managed to net a goal, but the effort was not enough to steer the Canucks to victory; they fell 4-1. Reflecting on his performance, Kuzmenko expressed a team-first mentality, stating, "It doesn't matter if I scored ... it doesn't matter if my score doesn't help the team. I need to be better, this I understand. That's why I haven't played (as much) this season."
The top line, which features Kuzmenko alongside Ilia Mikheyev and Elias Pettersson, has not lived up to expectations. They have been outshone by their second-line counterparts in both scoring and general play. Pettersson, the center, has accumulated 30 points with nine goals and 21 assists. Mikheyev, playing right wing, has contributed 12 points with seven goals and five assists.
Coach's Expectations
Rick Tocchet, the head coach of the Canucks, has been candid about his expectations for Kuzmenko. Describing the winger's season performance as merely "OK," Tocchet has called for Kuzmenko to "play a little harder." This culminated in Kuzmenko being sidelined for consecutive games against the Seattle Kraken and San Jose Sharks in late November.
"He's got to get his game a little bit more sharpened up," Tocchet remarked on November 27. "It's not about last year, it's about this year for us. And he's a guy that needed a reset."
Tocchet's advice for Kuzmenko is clear: intensify his engagement in puck battles along the boards and quicken his defensive responses in the neutral zone. "Those are the little things that I value around here. It's not about just scoring goals. Goal scorers are going to go through slumps," Tocchet explained. "The little things matter. That's part of our staples, and he has to understand that's the Bible for us around here."
Despite the team's loss, Kuzmenko's goal and overall play in the third period against the Golden Knights did earn him some praise from Tocchet, who noted an improvement in his focus and directness on the ice. "If you watch his shifts in the third, he was going A to B," said Tocchet. "He wasn't zigzagging, backward skating defending; he was going forward."
For his part, Kuzmenko acknowledges the high bar set by his coach and expresses a desire to meet those expectations. He is keenly aware of the statistical slump, especially considering his four-goal tally thus far, and remains committed to contributing to the team's success.
When asked about his mindset during the prolonged goal drought that spanned nearly the entire month of November, Kuzmenko responded with optimism. "What interesting questions about mentality. It's an interesting moment for mentality, for personality, for me," he said with a smile. "It's simple with the hard work mentality, work in the gym, it's simple."
Looking ahead, Kuzmenko aims to leverage his recent performance as a stepping stone to greater consistency. The Canucks will next face the Calgary Flames on Saturday, and Kuzmenko is poised to turn the page and help lead his team to victory.
As the season progresses, all eyes will be on Kuzmenko to see if he can rediscover the form that made him a standout player last season. With the support of his coach and the determination to refine the