The newest member of the Calgary Flames is eager to get things started.
Andrei Kuzmenko was acquired Wednesday evening in a trade with the Canucks that included a total of six players and draft selections.
And the 27-year-old forward has an eye on making an impact right off the hop.
“I’m excited to come to Calgary and join the Flames,” said Kuzmenko. “It’s a great opportunity for me to come to a new team, a new city and contribute to the offence.”
He’s likely to get that chance come Tuesday, when the Flames open a four-game Eastern road trip in Boston.
Kuzmenko’s got a scoring touch: the winger is coming off a 39-goal, 74-point season with Vancouver in 2022-23, converting on over 27% of his shots on goal last winter.
“My shot is a strength, I like to be creative in the offensive zone,” he said. “I feel like I will also be able to help the powerplay and I’m looking forward to that opportunity.”
He put home 14 man-advantage markers in his first NHL season (which led all Canucks skaters), meaning the Flames have another crafty trigger man at their disposal to help their powerplay.
Flames general manager Craig Conroy figures the addition of Kuzmenko will only help those special teams numbers improve.
“We feel like we’re getting a right-shot, powerplay guy that can score goals,” Conroy told Flames TV’s Natasha Staniszewski. “We think that helps our team right now.
“We’re really looking forward to seeing what he can do, he was really good on the powerplay last year.”
His time on the West Coast - in particular that inaugural campaign - helped show Kuzmenko that he can more than hold his own in the NHL, too.
He originally signed as a free agent with Vancouver in the summer of 2022, making the move to North America after eight seasons - and more than 300 games - in the KHL.
“It showed me that I have the skills to make an impact in the NHL,” Kuzmenko said of his time with the Canucks. “I am excited to start this new chapter in my career."
