By any reasonable measure, Andrei Kuzmenko has had a strong start to the new season.
The Calgary Flames winger has scored once and added four assists in four games, putting up a better than point-per-game pace in an admittedly limited sample size. Only Jonathan Huberdeau and Rasmus Andersson have contributed more as the Flames came firing out the gate to a 4-0-0 record prior to Saturday night’s matchup with the Seattle Kraken.
And yet, when he was asked about his solid start, Kuzmenko made it clear he isn’t satisfied.
“My game, I need to play better,” the Russian said. “One goal in four games. I need to help my team on the power-play and I look forward to the moment I can play better.”
If Kuzmenko’s got more to give, that can only be a good thing for the Flames. With Yegor Sharangovich and Sam Honzek both out week-to-week with injuries, a guy with Kuzmenko’s formidable offensive skill set has a tonne of value.
Not that the Flames have struggled with scoring. They’ve been getting goals from up and down the lineup.
But Kuzmenko is a guy who scored 39 goals two seasons ago with the Vancouver Canucks, then recorded 14 in 29 games for the Flames after being acquired in the Elias Lindholm trade earlier this year.
So yeah, the guy can put pucks in the back of the net.
If there’s an area where he can improve this year, though, it’s not necessarily specific to scoring more goals.
“I don’t know if I’d agree with him,” Huska said when asked about Kuzmenko saying he needed to be better. “I think there’s stretches of the last game he played where he could have done a little better job moving his feet. I think that’s probably one area, but he’s creating and he’s being dynamic and that’s what we’re looking for consistently.
“I do feel like he is more of a threat or a dangerous player when his feet are moving, so now you’re combining the hands that he does have with a guy who is very good on his edges. The push for us always to him is about making sure you’re making plays and creating with your feet moving.”
While Kuzmenko has been providing a spark on the right of Nazem Kadri, their line will be shuffled now that Honzek is out for at least a little while.
The injury means Matt Coronato will be getting a bump-up to the Flames’ top line. He’ll be slotted in at right wing, with Kuzmenko getting moved over to the left.
It’s a trio that has serious potential.
Kadri led the Flames in points last year, with 75, and we’ve already discussed the danger that Kuzmenko presents to opponents in the offensive zone.
And Coronato had two goals on Tuesday night against the Chicago Blackhawks in a 3-1 win. The 21-year-old is brimming with potential and hopefully playing with two linemates as offensively gifted as Kadri and Kuzmenko will bring out the best in him.
As for the move to left-wing, Kuzmenko himself seems completely unconcerned by it.
While he’s played on the right since joining the Flames, most of his hockey-playing life has been spent on the other side of the ice.
“How old am I, 28? For 23 years I played on the left side, left-winger,” Kuzmenko said. “It’s good. For me, it doesn’t matter. Left side, right side, this is hockey.”