5 Rental Forwards New Jersey Devils Should Target In Trades
Andrei Kuzmenko
The New Jersey Devils have long been a rumored trade partner of the Vancouver Canucks. From Damon Severson to Quinn Hughes to J.T. Miller to Connor Garland to Thatcher Demko, the hypotheticals have always swirled. But how about Andrei Kuzmenko?
The right-shot Russian winger signed with the Canucks as a UFA this past summer after four highly productive years with SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL. Interesting note: he was traded by CSKA Moscow in exchange for ex-Devils center Sergei Kalinin.
In his first season in the NHL, Kuzmenko has spent the bulk of his time next to Elias Pettersson, shooting a whopping (and unsustainable) 24%. Kuzmenko is up to 13 goals and 12 assists, with seven goals coming with the man advantage. In normal circumstances, such a player wouldn’t be available. Still, the Canucks have some serious cap issues, and retaining Kuzmenko won’t be an easy feat if the team continues to struggle.
Most goals by a @Canucks player through their first 26 career NHL games:
— StatsCentre (@StatsCentre) December 8, 2022
15- Elias Pettersson (2018)
13- Andrei Kuzmenko (2022 via tying it up with 3:53 to go in Wednesday's 6-5 OT win against the Sharks)
13- Jere Gillis (1977)
11- Patrik Sundstrom (1982)
11- Trevor Linden (1988) pic.twitter.com/eIRHZOAgXO
Kuzmenko could have a happy NHL life ahead of him, potentially being on the receiving end of more scoring chances than he knows what to do with. A trade across the continent could be a boost for both Jack Hughes and Kuzmenko, as the former has had some slouches for linemates in the scoring department. In addition, the presence of Kuzmenko could allow the Devils to allocate more highly-skilled players to their second power-play unit that has suffered all season long so far.
KUZMENKO RESPONDS! Andrei Kuzmenko tips home Miller's shot-pass and we're tied up at 6!#Canucks pic.twitter.com/1UFFCwTQ0B
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) December 6, 2022
Lastly, the Canucks have managed to accrue about half of their season’s win total over their last 10 games, thanks to Miller, Kuzmenko, Bo Horvat, Ilya Mikheyev, and Dakota Joshua all shooting above 17% this season. This is an unsustainable rate, and if the Canucks really do come crashing back down to earth, they’ll need to secure some picks and prospects to truly start the rebuilding effort.