Sportsnet 650: Jamie Dodd and Thomas Drance on if the Vancouver Canucks ought to take into account buying and selling winger Andrei Kuzmenko and what his worth may be.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Dodd: “After we form of take into consideration the broad targets of the crew, possibly going into the summer season, possibly past, two issues stand out.
One in all them is reallocating cash from the wings, proper, to heart and the blueline if you happen to can. Which is difficult to do. That’s one.
And I believe one other one is, making an attempt to get the varieties of gamers that match the type of play that (Rick) Tocchet and by extension the administration crew that employed him, need this crew to play, proper?
And I believe that explains why they’ve signed Ilya Mikheyev, why they acquired Anthony Beauvillier regardless that it added cash and added gamers they’re dedicated too on the wings as a result of they suppose these guys have that form of velocity. North-south type of play.
Nicely if you happen to’re making an attempt to do each of these issues. If you happen to’re making an attempt to reallocate cash from the wings and likewise get guys who match Tocchet’s type extra, the title that pops into my head immediately that you need to be prepared to discover transferring is Andrei Kuzmenko, proper? As a result of yeah, I perceive Conor Garland and Brock Boeser, possibly you suppose you could possibly do each of it with them. They’re inefficient contracts and so they don’t suit your type of play.
However at a sure level you need to be prepared to present worth to get worth. And if Andrei Kuzmenko, if groups take a look at him and are literally prepared to present you official worth again, whether or not it’s a third-line heart, whether or not it’s property you may flip for a third-line heart, you need to be prepared to discover that form of factor, proper? You possibly can’t fall into the lure of, ‘nicely we’re in love with Andrei Kuzmenko. We’re in love with Anthony Beauvillier. You couldn’t presumably discover buying and selling them. We solely wish to transfer Garland or Boeser.’
I’m not saying you need to commerce Andrei Kuzmenko, however once we find out about how Tocchet used him down the stretch, possibly about a few of the questions how he match into Tocchet’s type, and the truth that he is an efficient participant. I wish to make that clear. The explanation I deliver this up is trigger he’s a superb participant on a superb contract.
A great participant on a superb contract is the form of factor you may commerce and truly get one thing good again. If you happen to’re solely set on commerce guys who’re underperforming, you’re not going to get a lot again. You may need to consider buying and selling any person who’s good and on a superb contract, and to me the title that makes quite a lot of sense is Andrei Kuzmenko.”
Drance: “Nicely, I agreed with you 5 months in the past, or three months in the past, however I not do. As a result of the dedication they signed him to considerably neuters his worth. And I don’t imply Kuzmenko has no worth, I imply that he has much less commerce worth than he has actual worth to the Canucks at this second in time, and right here’s why.
On the finish of the day the north-south considerations you’re citing, the velocity considerations, and the repeatability considerations, aren’t distinctive thought pearls. They’re shared across the league and so, for the second anyway, I believe Kuzmenko can be considered. I imply groups would like to, or there’s at the very least a couple of groups that will roll the cube and be the crew holding that specific lottery ticket.
Nevertheless it’s not the identical as when he was on an entry-level deal and will match on any crew searching for their model of Evgenii Dadonov forward of the deadline.
Now you’re speaking a couple of $5.5 million dedication for a man who, yeah, he had 75 factors final season and he virtually scored 40 targets, however he additionally highway shotgun with Elias Petterson and shot the lights out from a share standpoint and produced at a charge that he’s by no means come near matching at every other degree of hockey beforehand in his professional profession.
Within the occasion that Kuzmenko repeats, then his contract has huge worth. In the present day, as a man coming off a profession yr, with no observe document within the playoffs, with no observe document of doing this yr over yr, and with out having confirmed that he can drive his personal line or drive offense for his personal line, truthfully, I don’t suppose he would have a lot commerce worth interval due to the uncertainty in his profile.
However once more, this might go by some means. If he repeats, then you definately’re speaking a couple of huge plus for the Canucks. Like a massively environment friendly, tremendous team-friendly deal.
I believe that’s why I grouped him team-friendly as a result of based mostly on his pattern of efficiency up to now, I don’t suppose it’s honest to say that it’s not a good deal. There’s an actual likelihood he does this once more. If he simply repeats, then you definately’re a steal contract. Will bump him up the record considerably. If nonetheless, he’s a 50-point man, then you definately’re very a lot speaking about Conor Garland. Then you definitely’re speaking about one other fair-value contract.
So, based mostly in the marketplace for wingers, I simply don’t suppose Kuzmenko at this cut-off date would have the kind of commerce worth to tip him over into the sphere you’re speaking about. Which is like the dear participant for helpful futures cap dump sort commerce.
I don’t suppose he qualifies as that anymore, which is without doubt one of the the explanation why previous to the deadline and regardless of, such as you saying: ‘Hey, look. This can be a good participant, however…’ I assumed it was in all probability essentially the most prudent plan of action to deal him.”