The Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers are both on the list of teams drawing the interest of KHL star Andrei Kuzmenko, according to Elliotte Friedman.
Friedman reported during the 32 Thoughts segment during Saturday night’s game between Pittsburgh and the New York Rangers that Kuzmenko also had meetings with the Vegas Golden Knights, Carolina Hurricanes, and Nashville Predators.
The 26-year-old forward had 20 goals and 33 assists in 45 KHL games this season.
Apparently, Kuzmenko’s interview with the Canucks involved head coach Bruce Boudreau, whose status with the team is uncertain after club president Jim Rutherford declared on Monday that he would not be offered an extension on his contract this summer. Instead, the coach — who took over the Canucks in December and led the team to a 32-15-10 turnaround — could explore potential offers from other teams before the June 1 deadline for him to decide on his option year with the Canucks.
Kuzmenko is expected to make a decision about which NHL team to sign with in a month.
