What’s the path forward for Andrei Kuzmenko and the Vancouver Canucks?

Vancouver Canucks forward Andrei Kuzmenko has found himself healthy scratched on occasion this season under head coach Rick Tocchet.

The 27-year-old has 19 points in 30 games in 2023-24 in a year after potting 39 goals and over 70 points as a rookie in Vancouver last season.

But, with Yakutsk, Russia, product finding himself in the press box rather than on the ice, Frank Seravalli believes the Canucks should move on from Kuzmenko and free themselves of $5.5 million and either improve their forward group or continue to add on the blue line.

Tyler Yaremchuk: What’s your stocking stuffer for the Western Conference?

Frank Seravalli: Well my stocking stuffer is for the Vancouver Canucks. We just talked about how nice it would be if the Toronto Maple Leafs had some walking-around money in addition to the $4.1 million they have free because of John Klingberg. What if the Canucks swap out Andrei Kuzmenko, who has been a healthy scratch. For me, that’s it, that’s the ticket, that’s the gift. Give the Canucks a path forward to move on from Kuzmenko. I’d have to think there’s an opportunity to do so based on what we saw last season when he almost had 40 goals and 70-plus points in his first season in the NHL.

Frank Seravalli: You don’t just wake up and forget how to be a good Hockey player. For me that’s the one thing, he’s clearly a square peg going into a round hole for Rick Tocchett and the Cnaucks but if they could get $5 million in cap space to either improve their forward group more or continue adding to that back end, all of a sudden, I could see the Canucks as a legit Stanley Cup threat.

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