Into the fire: Inside Andrei Kuzmenko’s first two weeks as a Calgary Flame

It’s been two weeks since Andrei Kuzmenko was part of a big trade that sent him from Vancouver to Calgary on Jan. 31.

The Flames are in an interesting spot right now. Despite the decent start post all-star break and trying to welcome in a guy with as much talent as Kuzmenko, they’ve had tons of outside noise about players like Chris Tanev, Noah Hanifin and Jacob Markstrom, who could be dealt before the NHL’s trade deadline. 

“I’ve said multiple times that I feel like our leaders have done a great job of making sure that anything that’s going on away from our team — they push it aside,” said head coach Ryan Huska. “They’ve done a real good job with that.”

Since coming back from the All-Star break, the Flames are 3-1-0 while scoring 3.50 goals per game and only allowing 2.00 goals against per game in that span. Their special teams are also clicking at a rapid rate as their power play is at 30.0% while the penalty kill is clicking at 90.0%. 

While this may seem like a good thing, it makes the Flames’ current situation a bit odd. Do they become buyers at the deadline if they keep winning games? Or do they stick to the plan and remain sellers in order to reconstruct their roster? 

“I think all you can do is focus on what’s right in front of you and they have a job to do. That’s to come and play their very best,” Huska said. “That’s all we can ask of them.”

Kuzmenko has been one of those guys who has come in and done a great job. In his first four games as a member of the Flames, he has tallied two goals and has fit in on a line with Jonathan Huberdeau and Yegor Sharangovich. All of these games for Kuzmenko have been on the road, which is the perfect way to form a bond with new teammates since there are no distractions. 

“We’re around each other a lot more on the road than we would be at home. I think it’s a good thing for a guy to be around his new teammates,” Huska said. “You’re at the hotel or you’re at the rink, that’s pretty much it. It gives him [Kuzmenko] an opportunity to meet some of his new teammates and to feel a lot more comfortable than he would be if we had started at home.”

Just from being around the group, you can tell Kuzmenko is a happy-go-lucky, upbeat guy, but whenever a player is traded it’s always interesting to hear about who takes them under their wing on the new team. “He gravitates to everyone, nobody really has to gravitate to him,” Huska said. “The one obvious guy would be Sharangovich because they do speak the same language, but other than that — he’s been floating around everybody in our room which is nice to see.”

It’s clear that the relationship Sharangovich and Kuzmenko have formed off the ice has translated to some on ice success. Sharangovich calls Kuzmenko a “fun guy” and fun to play with.

When I told Sharangovich that Huska called Kuzmenko a pretty funny guy, Kuzmenko overheard.

“Coach said that? That’s good, I really like that”, Kuzmenko said with a laugh.

“He’s just always smiling,” Sharangovich said. “I like smiling too always because it’s healthy. We just come to the locker room and start talking, telling jokes, it’s really nice.”

You can sense that the vibes were very high in the Flames locker room after their morning skate. The room is always lighter when the team is winning hockey games.

“It’s a very good locker room, I like it,” Kuzmenko said. “It’s a new page for me, but it’s difficult because there are new rules, new tactics.”

He stressed how he and his linemates need to focus on communication on a day-to-day basis. He considers Huberdeau and Sharangovich “high-class players” and wants to stick with them. Learning what they want on the ice is a big process and will take a long time, Kuzmenko says. As for bonding off the ice: that’s a learning experience too, like when Kuzmenko got his first Super Bowl exposure over the weekend.

If Kuzmenko continues to play well and the Flames keep on winning hockey games, this trade deadline could get very interesting. They currently sit in fifth in the Pacific Division and are just three points back of the second Wildcard spot in the Western conference. Perhaps no team has a wider range of outcomes for the rest of the season. Whatever happens, Kuzmenko will play an important role.

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