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New Penguins Forward Is Sneaky Good Addition
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- New Penguins Forward Is Sneaky Good Addition
The Pittsburgh Penguins have made multiple moves this off-season. One of them was signing forward Andrei Kuzmenko to a one-year, $5 million contract.
The Penguins' decision to bring in Kuzmenko is understandable. Fellow winger Anthony Mantha hit the free agent market instead of re-signing with the Penguins, so they needed to replace him with another skilled winger. Signing Kuzmenko has given them just that.
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Kuzmenko had a decent 2025-26 season with the Los Angeles Kings, as he recorded 13 goals, 12 assists, and 25 points in 52 games. With numbers like these, he has the potential to provide the Penguins with some solid secondary scoring.
However, Kuzmenko has also shown at times that he can be a real difference-maker when playing at his best. Following being traded to the Kings from the Philadelphia Flyers during the 2024-25 season, he recorded 17 points in just 22 games. He also had 14 goals and 25 points in 29 games after being acquired by the Flames from the Vancouver Canucks during the 2023-24 season. His rookie season with Vancouver in 2022-23 was his best year, though, as he set career highs with 39 goals and 74 points in 81 games.
While expecting Kuzmenko to hit his rookie offensive totals is certainly a stretch, he has consistently had success during his first seasons with his new teams. It would not be surprising if this trend continued with the Penguins, and this is especially so when noting that he has a good chance of getting top-six and power-play minutes.
It will be interesting to see how much of an impact Kuzmenko makes for the Penguins next season, but there is no real in them giving him this one-year deal.
