The Vancouver Canucks have signed rookie forward Andrei Kuzmenko to a 2 year/$11M contract extension the club announced.
The contract also features a 12-team no trade list and will come with a $2M signing bonus in year 1 and subsequent $1M signing bonus in year 2. Kuzmenko’s new deal will carry a cap hit of $5.5M annually and will come into effect next season.
“Andrei is a player we worked extremely hard to recruit last summer,” said GM Patrik Allvin. “He has been an excellent fit for our forward group this season, transitioning very well to the North American style of play. His passion and enthusiasm for the game has made a positive impact in the dressing room among his teammates and we are excited to watch him continue his career with the Vancouver Canucks.”
The 26 year old has registered 43 points (21G, 22A) across 47 contests for the Canucks this year and currently leads all Vancouver players in shooting percentage at 24.7%. Kuzmenko leads all NHL rookies in scoring, goals, assists, power play goals, power play points, and points per game.
Unfortunately, due to the “Sergei Makarov Rule”, he will be ineligible for the Calder trophy this season due to his age.
The signing locks up a key piece of the Canucks future for the short term, however it makes the circumstances surrounding Canucks captain Bo Horvat even murkier.
Currently feeling the cap crunch, Vancouver has little wiggle room to sign the 27 year old forward who is playing out the final season of his 6yr/$33M deal. Jim Rutherford is on record as saying “We, I believe, have taken our best shot, and the contract that we have on the table for Bo right now I think is a fair contract for what he’s done up until this year,” Rutherford said. “But it’s certainly under market value for what he’s done this year. So, we’re in a pickle here.”
“He’s had a career year, a career run, and he’s looking for his money. He deserves it. I don’t blame him.”
With Kuzmenko now in line for a sizable pay increase, jumping from $950K this season, to $5.5M in 2023-24, the writing may be on the wall for Canucks’ leading goal scorer as the March 3rd NHL trade deadline approaches.
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