Former Columbus Blue Jackets forward Nikita Filatov appreciated the exchange of the Russian striker Andrey Kuzmenko from the Vancouver Canucks to the Calgary Flames.
The exchange took place on Thursday; Kuzmenko has been playing for Vancouver since the 2022/23 season. In total, the 27-year-old Russian played 124 games for the Canucks, in which he scored 95 (47+48) points.
— 39 goals are not scored like that. It is clear that Kuzmenko had more confidence and good partners last season. But we cannot turn a blind eye to the fact that Andrei failed in the first half of the current championship. From time to time he played on the front line with Pettersson. He has 43 games and 21 points. The statistics are disastrous. The main question is whether Kuzmenko will be able to regain his confidence and how well does the Calgary coaching staff understand his strengths? Obviously, they are also aware of his weaknesses, highlighted by the first half of the current season. Everything will depend on the admissible eligibility threshold. A talented winger with defensive issues is nothing new. But how can a coach integrate it into his hockey system?
I hope Calgary has studied all this and will try to do everything to make Andrei show his strengths. I have no doubt that Kuzmenko is a talented striker. So, we will monitor,” quotes RB Sport Filatov.
Calgary is 12th in the NHL Western Conference standings with 49 points.
RB Sport
Source : MatchTV
I’m Emma Smith, a dedicated journalist and avid storyteller. I have been writing for news websites for the past 5 years, reporting on hockey news and delivering in-depth analysis of the sport. In my current role as Author at Athletistic, I write about hockey events from around the world to keep followers up-to-date with what’s happening in the sport.
