Andrei Kuzmenko is sticking around in Los Angeles, signing a one-year, $4.3 million contract with the Kings on Monday.
Kuzmenko split this past season between the Calgary Flames, Philadelphia Flyers and Kings, finishing with 37 points (11 goals, 26 assists) in 66 games. He also had six points (three goals, three assists) in six playoff games with the Kings.
The 29-year-old from Yakutsk, Russia, signed with the Vancouver Canucks as an undrafted free agent in July 2022. He had a breakout rookie campaign in 2022-23 with 74 points (39 goals, 35 assists) in 81 games and signed a two-year, $11-million contract extension midway through the season.
Kuzmenko hasn’t come close to matching his rookie tally and hit a sophomore slump with 21 points in 43 games before he was traded to the Flames on Jan. 31, 2024.
He was dealt exactly one year later to the Flyers in a high-profile trade along with Jakob Pelletier and a pair of draft picks in exchange for Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee. His stint in Philly lasted only seven games and he was flipped to the Kings ahead of the trade deadline in March.
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