For 45 minutes after the Calgary Flames had left the practice ice on Friday, Andrei Kuzmenko stayed out on his own and fired shots at emergency goalie Dusty Nickel.
If the Zamboni driver hadn’t driven out onto the ice, he might still be out there.
It’s something he’s being doing all week, ever since he was dropped from the Flames’ roster for their games against the Columbus Blue Jackets and St. Louis Blues.
Kuzmenko has struggled to start the season, but the 28-year-old seems willing to put in the hours to turn around his fortunes.
“It’s my work for skates, for shot, because I’ve only scored one goal,” Kuzmenko explained on Friday at the Saddledome. “I need to work better for my shot and for my skates, for my shape. It’s OK, it’s a difficult time but I like it because after every difficult time you can get better.”
The focus for Kuzmenko will inevitably be on finding ways to score more goals.
The 28-year-old has lit the lamp only once in 25 games so far this season. Compare that with last year, when he scored 14 in 29 games for the Flames after being acquired in the trade that sent Elias Lindholm to the Vancouver Canucks.
And remember, too, that Kuzmenko was a scoring specialist in the KHL and then scored 39 in his first season with the Canucks in 2022-23, so there’s every reason to expect him to be among the Flames’ leaders in goals-scored. He’s not generally considered a strong two-way player, so it’s his offence that makes him a valuable asset on an NHL roster.
It’s just not happening this year, though.
That can’t entirely be chalked up to puck luck, either. Kuzmenko has fired only 30 shots on net this season, which is only the 13th highest total on the Flames roster.
Last season, he was averaging nearly two shots per-game after joining the team.
You’re generally not going to score if you don’t shoot, so getting back to the point where Kuzmenko is firing shots on net and getting into dangerous positions is the obvious objective.
“Our messaging to him, of course, is getting him to understand that he’s a really good player and shooting is a part of what makes him successful,” said Flames head coach Ryan Huska. “When they’re on the ice, they have to make decisions in the split-second about what they’re going to do. When a player feels really great about where their game is at, those plays happen naturally. When they’re fighting it a little bit, there’s a tendency to overthink.
“That’s what this is all about for Kuzy. Catch his breath a little bit and have a reset.”
With Kuzmenko watching from the press box for the last two games, Jakob Pelletier and Walker Duehr were called up from the Calgary Wranglers and have both made immediate impacts. Pelletier scored on Thursday against the Blues, while Duehr was effective on the forecheck.
So when will Kuzmenko get back in the lineup? The Flames weren’t going to change their roster after they shut the door on the Blue Jackets in Tuesday’s 3-0 win, but he’s surely not going to be in the press box long-term. Despite his scoring woes, Kuzmenko still possesses an offensive skill set that few on the Flames roster can match. They just need him to find his scoring touch again, and maybe a few days out of the lineup will help with that.
“For me, it’s a difficult moment and it’s so hard but it’s a good battle against myself, so it’s nice for the future,” Kuzmenko said, before elaborating on what he needs to do to stay in the lineup once he gets back in.
“Simple, work hard on ice. Doesn’t matter which zone: Offensive, defence, be better. I understand how I can play, so it’s a simple answer, it’s hard work.”
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