Confirmed with Link: Canucks sign Andrei Kuzmenko

[Nona Di Giuseppe]

I would bet he improves his point totals.

Last year he was moved on and off line 1 and PP1. With a stable spot next to Petterson on line 1 and 100% PP1 he will get many chances.

Kuzmenko played 16:15 a night last year - 186th amongst forwards.

For some perspective, his point totals place him right in between Ovechkin and Gaudreau. They averaged 20:12 and 19:25 a game respectively.

Year 2 in the NHL probably sees Kuz's TOI spike. With any improvement from him as a player he may be in for a very special year.

this. shooting percentage may go down, but his shot volume should go up

 

[Nona Di Giuseppe]

am i just getting caught up in the excitement or does kuz have the best hands in tight that we've ever seen in a canucks uniform?

who else would be in this conversation? we had vanek for a short time, he had unreal hands around the crease. greg adams, who i absolutely adored, but i don't think he was at that level. pre-meltdown bertuzzi was unstoppable in tight but i don't know if his hands by themselves were quite as good as kuz. i remember back in the day momesso had some memorable goals in the crease, and tom fergus was really good at getting his stick on the puck in the slot, but neither were elite talents obviously.

all to say, i just love watching kuz in the goalmouth. his hands are like quinn hughes's feet, just total magic.

... ever ? recency bias gettin' you. imo. Bure, Mogilny ... those guys are equal/better to Kuzmenko not just because of their ability to stick handle at super high speeds, they could also dominate in tight. The Sedins, in a phonebooth, could work around a sea of legs and sticks. I'm not sure if you're conflating body work and stick handling, but Bertuzzi used both, similiarly to Kuzmenko and we haven't seen it in awhile.

 

[PuckMunchkin]

I would bet he improves his point totals.

Last year he was moved on and off line 1 and PP1. With a stable spot next to Petterson on line 1 and 100% PP1 he will get many chances.

Kuzmenko played 16:15 a night last year - 186th amongst forwards.

For some perspective, his point totals place him right in between Ovechkin and Gaudreau. They averaged 20:12 and 19:25 a game respectively.

Year 2 in the NHL probably sees Kuz's TOI spike. With any improvement from him as a player he may be in for a very special year.

I would take that bet.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

... ever ? recency bias gettin' you. imo. Bure, Mogilny ... those guys are equal/better to Kuzmenko not just because of their ability to stick handle at super high speeds, they could also dominate in tight. The Sedins, in a phonebooth, could work around a sea of legs and sticks. I'm not sure if you're conflating body work and stick handling, but Bertuzzi used both, similiarly to Kuzmenko and we haven't seen it in awhile.

i mean in tight as in how soft his hands are in or right in front of the crease, not dangling. as in coralling rebounds and putting them home, getting his stick on pucks and it going into the net, deflections, that kind of thing.